HSTuners - get the hint?

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Quote:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Support for President Bush's management of the Iraq war has dropped to an all-time low even as his overall approval remains tepid but steady, according to a CNN poll released Monday.

The survey, conducted Friday through Sunday by Opinion Research Corp., found support for Bush's handling of the Iraq conflict has decreased to 28 percent from 34 percent in a poll taken October 13-15.

And a record 70 percent of respondents said they disapproved of Bush's war management, up from 64 percent in the October poll.

Meanwhile, Bush's overall job approval was 36 percent -- down only 1 percentage point from the last CNN poll asking that question December 5-7.

Sixty-two percent said they disapproved of his performance in office, up from 57 percent in the previous poll.

The poll, which surveyed 1,019 adults, had a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Bush and his advisers are seeking a new strategy for the war in Iraq, where U.S. troops are battling an insurgency while trying to stem the sectarian violence that has become rampant since the February bombing of a revered Shiite mosque in Samarra. (Watch how even children are unable to escape the violence )

In a report earlier this month, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group called conditions in Iraq "grave and deteriorating."

Bush has been reluctant to embrace some of the report's key proposals, including a withdrawal of most U.S. combat troops by early 2008 and a call for direct talks with Iran and Syria.

Though 67 percent of those polled oppose the war in Iraq, only 54 percent said the U.S. should withdraw its troops immediately or within the next year, the poll states.

Asked if they thought victory in Iraq was possible, 48 percent said yes and 50 percent said no. Half of those polled said a stalemate was the most likely outcome of the war.

Widespread dissatisfaction with the war may be the impetus behind a dip in the approval ratings of Bush's handling of anti-terrorism efforts as well, the poll suggests.

Support for his management of anti-terrorism efforts dropped to 42 percent from 50 percent in the poll taken October 13-15. Disapproval of Bush's anti-terrorism efforts increased from 47 percent to 55 percent during that time.

Monday's poll results mark the first time more than 50 percent of respondents have registered disapproval on the topic.

The Bush administration has long argued that Iraq is the "central front" in the war on terrorism. Bush spent last week meeting with officials at the Pentagon and State Department, telling reporters he would not be rushed into a decision.

The White House said last week that Bush plans to outline a new strategy in early January, but the president has ruled out "leaving before the job is done."

In the Monday poll, 27 percent said that the U.S. needs to completely overhaul its strategy and 46 percent said major changes were needed.

Eighteen percent said minor changes were called for and 6 percent said the strategy should remain the same, according to the poll results.

Bush also welcomed a new defense secretary to his Cabinet on Monday as Robert Gates -- a former member of the study group -- took over from Donald Rumsfeld.

The president announced Rumsfeld's resignation the day after Republicans lost control of Congress in November's midterm elections.

I'll leave out my own comments.

few minor details...

it sampled 1,019 people, there are over 100 million in america

it had no plan, ideas, or anything besides finger pointing.

maybe its making a valid point, maybe not, but its deffinitally not a helpful, informative, or in any way solutions driven way of going about attacking bush. anyone can point a finger, not everyone can do something.

its real easy to say we shouldnt be there or we need to get out, its a whole other ball game to come up with a workable plan, a good idea, or even a thought that dosnt involve saying we need to do something then taking a step back and not doing anything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisCantSkate

well that's the same with any survey, but the statistics are still there. Bush has been given workable plans, it's just a matter if he takes the opinions of the people into consideration.

Chris...you're right...but sampling is meant to be used to take a general concensus by sampling a smaller number of the population using a random cross hatch of the populace. That's why polls have margins of error.

It's really not a poll's job to suggest alternative strategies for world affairs. It's not like presidential approval polls were invented to make Bush look like an idiot. They've been used for decades to convey people's feelings on important topics like the economy, foreign affairs, unemployment, etc. It's just that now there's a war to deal with and they're gauging people's approval.

As the article states, Bush was handed a number of viable problem solvers from people that even he trusts. His reaction was to pretty much ignore them so far. That's all fine and good, but while he's twiddling his thumbs some kid from Iowa or somewhere similar is dying. He's got suggestions on how to handle what is arguably the most disasterous war ever fought by this country and he's doing nothing with them. As far as I'm concerned that is pretty deserved of disapproval.

well, it very well could be within 3% of what the whole country thinks, its just i dont trust these small polls that make these types of claims. im sorry 1,100 people to me is way to small to try and get an idea of what america thinks. there are 1,100 different types of people in america, over half i would bet dosntparticipate in polls.

now on the flip side i would agree with most the numbers, i dont approve the policy we have going right now, i wouldnt say i disaprove bush all together, but there are quite a few isssues i have to scratch my head about, important ones. enough to not vote anyone from his administration in 08. (go McCain!)

but when looking at statistics, at least for me, i see this and see it terribly small, and thus flawed. its just what news stations (all, not trying to isolate CNN) do to make the stats work in their favor. i hate news polls, and i put no stock im them no matter what they say when dealing with issues so large with such a small sample group

It'd be one thing if every poll out there used something like 10,000 people and this one was using 1,000, but really just about every opinion poll done by anyone uses right around 1,000 people. So the polls that gave Bush good reviews say 2 or 3 years ago were the same size as these. It's not like they used a deliberately small sample to skew the numbers.

I'm also not quite sure what's so hard to believe about those numbers. The really low percentage (28%) is reserved only for approval of the war. Really I'd be surprised if it was that high. If the random sample of people I've had conversations with are any indicator I would think it'd be in single digit or low teens. The poll lists the president's overall approval at 36% which is actually up from some previous numbers. I think it was 32% at one point.

So yeah...I guess you can take it with a grain of salt and all that, but I don't see any reason to doubt the results.

Polls likes these are a distraction to the real problem.

It doesn't matter what a sample size says. The US is in Iraq. I agree with Chris. What do Americans know about the situation in Iraq? World issues. The average knows nothing, the people who attempt to get informed still dont know the inner issues.

It's great to say Bush has done a bad job in Iraq. It's not Bush who's cause the issues in Iraq, it's the people who invovle themselves in infighting.

It doesnt matter what Americans think of Bushes performance, because the problems in IRaq right now. And NONE of the people surveyed know enough about the situation or qualified to comment on the solution to the problem.

It's like asking my opinion on NASA. Am I a rocket scientist? No so my opinion means jack shit.

Polls like this are meaningless and insight stupid debates.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert

however, our government is supposed to be based on a democracy so what the people think is a big part of what the US is supposed to be. Sure we may not know everything but what we do know and what we feel is supposed to be what matters here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CD5Passion

in this case you might be right, but we as a people cannot know everything about global policical policy, and therefore cannot make accurtate decisions about what to do. we make alot of outlandish demands and claims when we know little to non about whats really going on behind the scenes, and want the gov to neglect the possible fallout from making knee-jerk decisions, who we would turn around and blame for the problems our choices make 2 years down the line. we cannot and willnot micromanage the goverments decisisons through votes. it was never intended to be done that way and never will. you dont like it? vote. if you "guy" dosnt win then it looks like those polls polled people who wanted to get out and make a statement against someone, not contenet with what they are doing and living their lives.