The latest WaPo/ABC poll includes plenty of the usual questions, but the numbers on Iraq were particularly noteworthy.
Most Americans see President Bush as intransigent on Iraq and prefer that the Democratic-controlled Congress make decisions about a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
As the president and Congress spar over war policy, both receive negative marks from the public for their handling of the situation in Iraq. But by a large margin, Americans trust Democrats rather than the president to find a solution to a conflict that remains enormously unpopular. And more than six in 10 in the new poll said Congress should have the final say on when to bring the troops home.
I guess Americans aren’t going for the whole “unitary executive” idea.
Indeed, the poll showed a country anxious for Bush to give in and compromise on war policy. “Asked whether Bush is willing enough to change policies on Iraq, nearly eight in 10 Americans said no.”
And in a pleasant surprise, it’s not just Dems and independents saying so.
Since December, the percentage seeing Bush as too rigid has increased 12 points, with the most significant change among Republicans. Just after the 2006 midterm elections and the release of the 79-point plan from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, 55 percent of Republicans thought Bush was willing enough to change course in Iraq; in this poll, 55 percent of Republicans said he is not.
The Post added, “Even among those Americans who said they had served or had a close friend or relative who served in Iraq, 38 percent approve of Bush’s handling of the conflict.”
The right will predictably crow, again, that Congress’ approval ratings are about as bad as Bush’s. And once again, conservatives who make this argument will highlight how confused they are.
At the same time, Congress fares little better with the public on the war. Just 35 percent said they approve of the way congressional Democrats are handling the situation in Iraq, with 63 percent disapproving. Two-thirds of independents give the Democrats negative marks on the war. […]
Overall approval of Congress stands at 37 percent in the new poll, with the 60 percent disapproval rating equal to public dissatisfaction with the Republican-controlled Congress late last year. Congress’s approval rating has declined over the past three months because self-identified Democrats have soured in their assessment.
Congressional Democrats still receive higher marks than their Republican counterparts for their performance, but independents give both parties equally negative reviews.
But when it comes to judging the president versus congressional Democrats on the issue of Iraq, the public stands with Congress. Fifty-five percent said they trust congressional Democrats on the war, compared with 32 percent who said they trust Bush. (Eleven percent of all respondents and 17 percent of independents said they trust “neither.”) And by 2 to 1, Americans said Congress, rather than the president, should make the final decision about when to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq. Nearly three in 10 Republicans side with Congress over the president on this question.
Many would like Congress to assert itself on Iraq, and about half of poll respondents said congressional Democrats have done “too little” to get Bush to change his war policy. Democrats are especially eager for more action from their party’s lawmakers: 61 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of liberal Democrats said not enough has been done to prod Bush on the issue.
Americans want Congress to step up and take control of war policy away from the hapless failed president. It’s really not complicated.