Bush's Anbar photo op changes nothing: Record 60% want to set timetable and stick to it

[DeepModem Mom]

USA Today: Poll: Most want Iraq pullout deadline
By Susan Page, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — On the eve of critical testimony to Congress by Gen. David Petraeus, most Americans are skeptical of what he will say and support setting a timetable to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq regardless of the military situation there.

A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday and Saturday finds that a White House push to spotlight progress in Iraq, including President Bush's surprise stop in Anbar province last week, hasn't fundamentally changed attitudes toward the war. While a third of those surveyed say the "surge" of U.S. troops this year has made them more confident the United States will accomplish its goals, a majority calls the invasion a mistake and predicts the war will be lost.

A record 60% say the United States should set a timetable to withdraw forces "and stick to that timetable regardless of what is going on in Iraq."

"The president's message has been offset by a stream of credible analyses that things are in pretty bad shape," says Richard Eichenberg, a political scientist at Tufts University. He notes pessimistic assessments released last week by the Government Accountability Office and a commission of retired generals.

Asked about Petraeus' testimony, 53% of those surveyed say the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq will deliver "a biased report that reflects what the Bush administration wants the public to believe." Four in 10 say it will be independent....

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-09-09-poll_N.htm

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1. Does any politician these days care one shit about constituents? Only at voting time.