Anticipating Bush's speech tonight that will fly in the face of all the recommendations from his "experts", I thought it relevant to see what the boots on the ground think. The Military Times released their annual poll of active duty service people, and I have to say, if these trends continue, Barney and Laura will truly be the only people behind George's strategery.
Military Times: (h/t Hugh)
Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq?
Approve 35%
Disapprove 42%
No opinion 10%
Decline to answer 12%
Should the U.S. have gone to war in Iraq?
Yes 41%
No 37%
No opinion/no answer 9%
Decline to answer/no answer 11%
Regardless of whether you think the U.S. should have gone to war, how likely is the U.S. to succeed?
Very likely to succeed 13%
Somewhat likely to succeed 37%
Not very likely to succeed 31%
Not at all likely to succeed 10%
No opinion/no answer 8%
Keeping in mind that the military is typically far more conservative, hawkish and supportive of the President, these numbers are stunning. Look how much they've fallen since last year:
Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq?
Approve 54%
Disapprove 25%
No opinion 9%
Decline to answer 12%Should the U.S. have gone to war in Iraq?
Yes 56%
No 26%
No opinion/no answer 7%
Decline to answer/no answer 11%Regardless of whether you think the U.S. should have gone to war, how likely is the U.S. to succeed?
Very likely to succeed 31%
Somewhat likely to succeed 42%
Not very likely to succeed 17%
Not at all likely to succeed 3%
No opinion/no answer 6%
