(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are divided on how their president should deal with the Iraq war, according to a poll by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times. 48 per cent of respondents think George W. Bush should sign a funding authorization that includes a timetable for withdrawal, while 43 per cent think he should veto the legislation.

On Mar. 23, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 218-212 to authorize an emergency supplemental war spending bill, which sets a deadline of Aug. 31, 2008 for the end of the coalition effort in Iraq. On Mar. 29, the U.S. Senate voted 51-47 to pass a separate bill, which calls for all combat troops to be removed from Iraq by Mar. 31, 2008.

Bush has vowed to veto any bill that sets a deadline for the coalition effort. If the president indeed vetoes the legislation, 45 per cent of respondents think Congress should refuse to pass any funding bill until Bush agrees to accept conditions for troop withdrawal, while 43 per cent want the legislative branch to pass another version of the bill that provides funding for the war without any conditions.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,292 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 24,600 troops have been wounded in action.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

On Apr. 10, Bush criticized the Democratic leaders in Congress, saying, "(They) are bent on using a bill that funds our troops to make a political statement about the war. They need to do it quickly and get it to my desk so I can veto it, and then Congress can get down to the business of funding our troops without strings and without further delay."

In more than six years in office, Bush has only vetoed a single bill: The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005.

Polling Data

As you may know, Democrats in both houses of Congress passed legislation that ties further funding of the war in Iraq to targeted dates for withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq. U.S. president George W. Bush says he will veto any measure that sets such a timetable because he believes it would tie the hands of battlefield commanders and make defeat in Iraq more likely. Do you think that Bush should sign a funding authorization that includes a timetable for withdrawal, or should he veto that legislation?

If George W. Bush vetoes the legislation, do you think Congress should pass another version of the bill that provides funding for the war without any conditions for troop withdrawal, or should Congress refuse to pass any funding bill until Bush agrees to accept conditions for withdrawal?

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