Poll: U.S. public wants military pullback

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- A Pew Center survey finds that public support in the United States for an assertive foreign policy has dropped sharply.

While 58 percent say the war in Iraq is going well, a change in public perception of the conflict, a majority continue to support ending U.S. involvement. Support for keeping troops in Afghanistan remains high.

About 45 percent of those polled said the next U.S. administration should cut overseas military commitments, which have grown by 10 percent since 2004. Support is down for efforts to fight genocide, strengthen the United Nations, stop the spread of AIDS and even prevent nuclear proliferation.

The Pew Center for Press and Public Interest interviewed 2,982 adults by telephone between Sept. 9 and Sept. 14.

The most important foreign policy issue for 76 percent of those polled is making the United States less dependent on foreign oil and gas. While more than half favor increased offshore drilling and oil exploration in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, the greatest support is for conservation measures like increasing vehicle mileage and adopting alternative energy sources like wind and solar power.

No margin of error was reported.