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As Gen. David Petraeus reports to the Congress on Iraq situation, most Americans don＇t trust what he says and support setting a timetable to withdraw US troops from Iraq, a latest poll has found.
A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll released in Washington yesterday finds that a White House push to spotlight progress in Iraq, including President George W. 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 US 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 percent 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.
He notes pessimistic assessments released last week by the Government Accountability Office and a commission of retired generals.
Asked about Petraeus＇ testimony, 53 percent of those surveyed say the top commander of US forces in Iraq will deliver "a biased report that reflects what the Bush administration wants the public to believe."
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