Poll: 59% believe war was a mistake, 64% dissapprove of Bush's handling

[ProSense]

Associated Press/Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. June 5-7, 2006. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.1. RV = registered voters

"When it comes to the situation in Iraq, do you approve or disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way George W. Bush is handling that issue?" If "mixed feelings" or not sure: "If you had to choose, do you lean more toward approve or disapprove?"

6/5-7/06

Approve 33%
Disapprove 64%
Mixed Feelings 2%
Unsure 1%


"All in all, thinking about how things have gone in Iraq since the United States went to war there in March 2003, do you think the United States made the right decision in going to war in Iraq or made a mistake in going to war in Iraq?"

6/5-7/06

Right Decision 38%
Mistake 59%
Unsure 3%

http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm

[Davis_X_Machina]

1. The math says...

..5% think that George isn't killing enough brown people for their taste....

[ProSense]

2. GOP Senate Campaign Aide: "When you kill...terrorist with a long Arab name

At Last, a Rosy Day

The Zarqawi strike showed a new Bush strategy of restraint. Don't expect the same from Capitol Hill.

By Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey
Newsweek

Snip...

For the White House, Zarqawi's unexpected demise is the first good news about the insurgency in months, and the president and his advisers know they risk squandering it if they were to gloat. Bush's tendency toward "bring it on" swagger cost him credibility as the war dragged on—the insurgents did come on, to deadly effect—and the president now avoids raising expectations even when he has something good to report. Announcing Zarqawi's death at the White House, Bush was solemn. "The difficult and necessary mission in Iraq continues," he said. "We can expect the terrorists and insurgents to carry on without him. We can expect the sectarian violence to continue." (Among themselves, long-suffering staffers couldn't help but indulge in a little end-zone dance. "People around here are palpably happy," says one senior White House official. "Good news is good news. I'll take any I can get. It's hard to come by.")

Snip...

A possible hitch: Congress. With the elections coming up, Republicans on Capitol Hill, fearful of being dragged down by the war, aren't spending much time worrying about Bush's rehabilitation. And they aren't buying into the new, nuanced stand on the war. GOP leaders were quick to violate every principle of the White House plan, hailing Zarqawi's death as a major victory in the war on terror—and lording it over the Democrats.

Snip...

To help make that point, the GOP House leadership has set aside time this Thursday for what it called a "freewheeling" floor debate on the Iraq war. There will be plenty of praise for the troops, no doubt, and huzzahs over Zarqawi's death. The hope is that voters who may have gone cold on the GOP will rally once again around the war. "When you kill some bastard terrorist with a long Arab name—they get that right away," says the Senate campaign aide. "So, yeah, this is the kind of thing ... voters respond to."

Not all Republicans think it's such a great idea. Democrats will have a chance at the microphone, too, and they will use it to remind voters that the violence continues despite Zarqawi's death, and point out that Iraq is still a mess with no end in sight. "Why are we going to have a debate about the thing that has been dragging the president and our party down?" LaHood wonders. "It doesn't take a genius to see what a silly idea that is in a year like this."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13250054/site/newsweek/