It seems to be pretty consistent across a range of polls at this point: Americans believe the troop surge is working:
Four in 10 Americans now say the U.S. troop surge in Iraq that began earlier this year is making the situation there better. This is up from 34% four weeks ago and from 22% when Gallup first measured it in July. Since August, more Americans have tended to say the surge is making the situation in Iraq better rather than worse, but today’s ratio — 40% vs. 20% — is the most positive yet recorded. Thirty-nine percent of Americans currently say the surge is not making any difference; this is down from 43% in September and 51% in July.
Ed Morrissey points out that this poll gives Republicans reason to hope that they can win back the support of independents as well:
It appears the GOP has a chance to convince independents to support the party, especially those who left in disgust in 2006 on a variety of issues. A significant portion of independents self-identify as conservatives, as implied by the results of this polling. That’s where Republicans must mine for votes in 2008. How can they do that? The Republican Party has to demonstrate that it learned its lesson form the 2006 spanking. They need to stop indulging in pork-barrel spending and start getting serious about fiscal discipline. That encompasses more than just tax cuts; the GOP has to fulfill its mandate and start looking for programs to cut out of a bloated federal budget. If the Republicans can build credibility on these issues, they have a chance to take back the House, even if they have no real chance to take back the Senate. With Iraq improving both on the ground and in the polls, the GOP has an opportunity to show that they deserve another shot at leadership. After the do-nothing chaos of Democratic leadership in 2007, that case should be easy to make.
Democrats continue to call for a ‘course change’ in Iraq. The politically astute among them will drop that phrase soon, since it’s pretty clear that the American people approve of the current course.
