We are constantly told by the Left that the American people support their efforts to get the United States out of Iraq as quickly as possible. The Netroots demand that Congress put more pressure on the White House, since Americans supposedly stand with them on pushing for withdrawal on a timetable faster than that of General Petraeus and the military commanders. But is that really what the American people think? One indication that they don’t is that Democrats in Congress are reluctant to follow the direction. The Congressional leadership recognizes that in the abstract, the people want our troops to come home. But they also know that there are other goals–like a stable Iraq, the prevention of genocide, and the defeat of al Qaeda. When they consider all factors, it becomes clear that the American people don’t just want the troops home as quickly as possible. This week there’s a Gallup poll that suggests that the American people are likely to be content with the White House plan for troop reductions:
On the Left, critics of the war point to the poll’s finding that when given a choice between a faster and slower withdrawal, a slight majority favor a faster withdrawal:
But the choices given don’t match reality. The administration’s plan is not to “not commit” to further reductions until next summer. The plan is to continue evaluating progress on the ground, and to recommend further reductions when circumstances dictate. One possible milestone to look at comes in March, when General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have said that they will deliver another Iraq progress report. If the security situation continues to improve and Iraq makes greater progress toward political reconciliation, it’s likely that there will be additional reductions. In particular, this points up the risks to Democrats of forcing a precipitous withdrawal. If the American people are content with the current plan–as they evidently are–do Democrats really want to take on the political risk of forcing a dramatic course change, especially of it leads to more trouble in Iraq?
