UPI Poll: Iraq surge not working

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A narrow plurality of participants in a UPI-Zogby International poll said the U.S. military “surge” in Iraq isn’t working.

A Zogby interactive poll of 6,711 U.S. residents was conducted Aug. 17-20 ahead of next month’s report by U.S. military and civilian leaders in Iraq on the situation in the country.

Early this year U.S. President George Bush authorized what he terms a “surge” in the number of U.S. military personnel in Iraq. Democrats rounded criticized the strategy but some have recently said there are signs the U.S. military is making progress but the political situation in Iraq is tenuous.

Some 48.7 percent of poll participants either strongly disagreed (34.9 percent) or somewhat disagreed (13.8 percent) with a statement that the troop surge in Iraq was working. Another 25.8 percent strongly agreed and 19.1 percent somewhat agreed that it was, for a total positive response of 44.9 percent.

More than one-third (36.9 percent) of those asked strongly disagreed that the United States should have a permanent military base in Iraq and 43.1 percent strongly disagreed that, given the current U.S. military commitment in Iraq, the country would be able to fight another war if a conflict arose.

The margin of error in the poll is 1.2 percentage points.