Who Cares What You Think?

Peter Baker and Jon Cohen write in The Washington Post: "Most Americans think the United States is losing the war in Iraq and support a bipartisan commission's key proposals to change course, according to a poll released yesterday. . . .

"Sizeable majorities agree with the goal of pulling out nearly all U.S. combat forces by early 2008, engaging in direct talks with Iran and Syria and reducing U.S. financial support if Iraq fails to make enough progress. . . .

"Bush's approval rating now stands at 36 percent, down four points from before the elections and the second-worst of his presidency. The poll found the lowest-ever approval for his handling of Iraq, 28 percent."

Here are the Washington Post/ABC News results.

By a more than 2-1 margin, the American public thinks Bush is too obstinate. Asked if they think Bush "is or is not willing enough to change his administration's policies in Iraq," 30 percent said he is willing enough; 66 percent said he is not willing enough.

CBS reports on its new poll: "Forty-three percent say the U.S. should keep fighting, but with new tactics, while 50 percent say the U.S. should begin to end its involvement altogether. Only 4 percent say the U.S. should keep fighting as it is doing now.

"Just 21 percent approve of President Bush's handling of the war, the lowest number he's ever received, and an 8-point drop from just a month ago. Most of that drop has been among Republicans and conservatives. Three-quarters of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling Iraq."

Maura Reynolds writes in the Los Angeles Times: "A majority of Americans favor setting a fixed timetable for bringing troops home from Iraq, and just 12% would support a plan to increase troop strength, an option under serious consideration by the military, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found. . . .

"Nearly two-thirds said they believed Iraq had descended into civil war, which Bush has denied. At a time when the administration is at work on a new strategy for Iraq and is resisting calls to start bringing troops home, the poll suggests that the president and his staff are out of step with public opinion.

"'The public doesn't want the status quo any longer in Iraq, and they believe the Democrats, rather than President Bush, will be best at finding a solution to the war,' said Times polling director Susan Pinkus."

Here are the Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg results.

Ignoring the Majority View

But the president doesn't care to hear from anyone who represents the majority view.