Poll shows support for funding cuts for Iraq war now! Obey proposal insufficient.

Dear Friends,

While Democratic Party leaders in Congress lack the backbone to act, and the leading Democratic Party candidates foresee American troops in Iraq for years to come, the American people are saying: "Get out now." And despite all the rhetoric about funding cuts "hurting the troops," a majority of Americans support those funding cuts and have seen through the conservative p.r. Campaign that intimidates Nancy Pelosi and other Congressional leaders. Here is the latest, followed by an analysis from Win Without War about why the proposal by Congressman Obey, which sounds courageous at first blush, actually is another cop out.

Also, watch Rabbi Lerner on the Bill Moyer's Journal this Friday night or Saturday night, or whenever it plays on PBS near you.

Washington Post/ABC News poll:
 
Washington Post-ABC News poll – Released October 2, 2007; conducted September 27-30, 2007.  The results have a three-point error margin.

You can read the article here, and poll details are available here.

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president? Do you approve/disapprove strongly or somewhat?
33% Approve
15% Strongly
18% Somewhat
64% Disapprove
14% Somewhat
49% Strongly
 
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling the situation in Iraq?
30% Approve
17% Strongly
14% Somewhat
68% Disapprove

12% Somewhat
57% Strongly
 
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are doing their job?
29% Approve
67% Disapprove
 
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are doing their job?
38% Approve
57% Disapprove
 
Which political party do you trust to do a better job handling the situation in Iraq?
49% Democrats (up seven points since last poll)
34% Republicans (up three points since last poll)
3% Both

11% Neither

All in all, considering the costs to the United States versus the benefits to the United States, do you think the war with Iraq was worth fighting, or not?  Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?
38% Worth fighting
59% Not worth fighting
 
Do you think (the United States should keep its military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored there, even if that means continued U.S. military casualties); OR, do you think (the United States should withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further U.S. military casualties, even if that means civil order is not restored there)?
43% Keep forces
54% Withdraw forces
 
As you may know Bush has sent approximately 28 thousand additional U.S. military forces to try to restore civil order in parts of Iraq. Do you think this increase in U.S. forces has made the situation in Iraq better, worse, or hasn't made much difference?
27% Better
15% Worse
56% Hasn't made much difference
 
There's been a proposal to remove these additional U.S. forces from Iraq by next summer, returning to the earlier level of about 130-thousand U.S. troops. Do you think the number of U.S. forces in Iraq should be reduced more (quickly) than this, more (slowly), or is this about the right pace of troop reductions?
43% More quickly
12% More slowly
38% Right pace
 
Do you think Democrats in Congress have gone too far or not far enough in opposing the war in Iraq?
35% Too far
55% Not far enough
 
The Bush administration has requested nearly 190 billion dollars to fund the wars and related U.S. activities in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next year. This is about 40 billion dollars more than first estimated. Do you think Congress should approve all of this funding request, or reduce it? IF REDUCE: Should this funding request be reduced somewhat, or reduced sharply?
27% Approve
67% Reduce
23% Reduce Somewhat
43% Reduce Sharply
 
Thinking ahead to the next presidential election, do you think a (Democratic) or a (Republican) president would do a better job resolving the situation in Iraq?
51% Democratic
31% Republican

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Obey Proposal Will Not End War; Congress Must Stop Appropriating Funds

Former Congressman Tom Andrews (D-ME), National Director of the Win Without War, issued the following statement today on the proposal by Chairman David Obey to set a "goal" of ending combat operations by January 2009:

"I applaud Congressman Obey's announcement that he will not pass any war funding bill out of his committee that 'simply serves to continue the status quo'.  But to stop the status quo, Congress needs to stop funding it. Congress should reject outright the President's supplemental request and only pass a funding bill that provides the money necessary for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

Democrats do not need a veto proof margin in the House or 60 votes in the Senate to take action to end the war. It is the President who needs a majority in both houses of Congress to continue his war.

As today's Washington Post/ABC poll confirms, most Americans are opposed to giving the President the funding that he wants for the war. If the Democrats were united in their opposition, the President would not have the votes to continue the war.

There is no military solution to the civil war in Iraq. As the government in Iraq has no intention of making the compromises necessary for a political resolution to its war, Congress should heed the call of the majority of Americans and stop giving the President the money he wants to keep our troops in the middle of someone else's civil war.

I urge Congress to reject immediately the President's supplemental funding bill and move to pass a Defense Appropriations bill that will ensure the safe, secure and orderly withdrawal of our combat forces from Iraq."

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