Yo Dems... you think you speak for America?

Think again:

Drudge has a flash report about a poll by Public Opinion Strategies that shows the American people want to win the war in Iraq. The numbers also show that the Democrats are actually working against the will of the American people. This is startling to say the least since the Democrats and the media are so thoroughly negative in their view of Iraq that they both give the impression the American people don't support the war and want out of Iraq immediately, too. Here's the report as it's posted on Drudge. I bolded the results that I thought were particularly significant:

In the wake of the U.S. House of Representatives passing a resolution that amounts to a vote of no confidence in the Bush administration's policies in Iraq, a new national survey by Alexandria, VA-based Public Opinion Strategies (POS) shows the American people may have some different ideas from their elected leaders on this issue.

The survey was conducted nationwide February 5-7 among a bi-partisan, cross-section of 800 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent. The survey was commissioned by The Moriah Group, a Chattanooga-based strategic communications and public affairs firm.

The survey shows Americans want to win in Iraq, and that they understand Iraq is the central point in the war against terrorism and they can support a U.S. strategy aimed at achieving victory, said Neil Newhouse, a partner in POS. The idea of pulling back from Iraq is not where the majority of Americans are.

• By a 53 percent - 46 percent margin, respondents surveyed said that Democrats are going too far, too fast in pressing the President to withdraw troops from Iraq.
• By identical 57 percent - 41 percent margins, voters agreed with these statements: I support finishing the job in Iraq, that is, keeping the troops there until the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security and the Iraqi war is a key part of the global war on terrorism.

• Also, by a 56 percent - 43 percent margin, voters agreed that even if they have concerns about his war policies, Americans should stand behind the President in Iraq because we are at war.

• While the survey shows voters believe (60 percent- 34 percent) that Iraq will never become a stable democracy, they still disagree that victory in Iraq (creating a young, but stable democracy and reducing the threat of terrorism at home) is no longer possible. Fifty-three percent say it's still possible, while 43 percent disagree.

• By a wide 74 percent - 25 percent margin, voters disagree with the notion that "I don't really care what happens in Iraq after the U.S. leaves, I just want the troops brought home."

• When asked which statement best describes their position on the Iraq War, voters are evenly divided (50 percent - 49 percent) between positions of "doing whatever it takes to restore order until the Iraqis can govern and provide security to their country," and positions that call for immediate withdrawal or a strict timetable.

• 27 percent said "the Iraq war is the front line in the battle against terrorism and our troops should stay there and do whatever it takes to restore order until the Iraqis can govern and provide security to their country."

• 23 percent said "while I don't agree that the U.S. should be in the war, our troops should stay there and do whatever it takes to restore order until the Iraqis can govern and provide security to their country."

• 32 percent said "whether Iraq is stable or not, the U.S. should set and hold to a strict timetable for withdrawing troops."

• 17 percent said "the U.S. should immediately withdraw its troops from Iraq."

The survey also found that voters thought it would hurt American prestige more to pull out of Iraq immediately (59 percent) than it would to stay there for the long term (35 percent). Public Opinion Strategies "scored the best win-loss record among the major polling and media firms in the 2004 election" and was named Pollster of the Year in 2002.

It will be interesting to see if this in any way affects the remarks being made by the likes of  Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha, Hillary Clinton and others of their ilk.

I suspect instead they'll question the poll and who took it.  After all, this has less to do with political will and much more to do with leftist extremism.

Stay tuned.

And imagine, just imagine, what the poll might look like if the American people weren't subjected to torrents of negativity daily and there was some focus on what's going right in Iraq.

UPDATE: Folks, as Freedonian points out in the comments, I goofed and didn't do my homework.  I had no idea that the poll referenced in this post was conducted by "a national Republican political and public affairs research firm" and unfortunately that knowledge does make me wonder.  My bad.  I'll attempt in the future to more thoroughly check things out.  And hats off to Freedonian who has his/her own blog here.

Comments

[Freedonian]

Isn't it worth mentioning that the polling service in question bills itself as "a national Republican political and public affairs research firm"?

How can it be "brutally honest" if the polling is done with a partisan goal in mind? I'm a Democrat, but if someone brings me a poll sponsored by the DNC, I'm going to give it all the deference it's due by ignoring it.

I mean, one of the headlines on the homepage is "PUBLIC OPINION STRATEGIES MOURNS REPUBLICAN LOSSES, CONGRATULATES MANY INDIVIDUAL WINNERS IN TOUGH RACES". Does that sound like an organization that's interested in public opinion, or one that's interested in SHAPING public opinion?

[Freedonian]

I'm sorry I'm just now making it back here, but I hope you'll still see it.

I just wanted to thank you for acknowledging it, and for acknowledging me. I've had my comment deleted from blogs where I disagreed with the writer before, and it's refreshing to find that you truly live up to the name Brutally Honest.

My hat is off to you as well, and I toast you with a bottle of Freedonia's Finest Ale--- Which coincidentally tastes a lot like Beck's Dark.

You da man.