(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The number of Americans who want their country’s commitment to the coalition effort to end remains remarkably stable, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 54 per cent of respondents think the United States should bring its troops home from Iraq as soon as possible, unchanged since July.

In addition, 54 per cent of respondents think the U.S. made the wrong decision in using military force against Iraq, and 51 per cent believe the U.S. military effort in Iraq is not going well.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,841 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and at least 28,300 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.

In September, commander of the Multi-National Force - Iraq David Petraeus and U.S. ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker provided a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Iraq to the U.S. Congress. In addition, U.S. president George W. Bush said U.S. forces in Iraq would be reduced by 5,700 troops in December, and announced the possibility of a further decrease in July 2008.

Yesterday, Bush discussed the coalition effort, saying, "As we keep pressure on the enemy, we must always remember that the ultimate path to peace will come from the spread of freedom and liberty; that freedom is the great alternative to the ideology of the murderers and the radicals. (...) And it is Iraq that is the central front in this struggle. In that country a democratic ally is fighting for its survival. (...) By taking the fight to the enemy in Iraq, we will defeat the terrorists there so we do not have to face them in the United States."

Polling Data

Do you think the U.S. should keep military troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized, or do you think the U.S. should bring its troops home as soon as possible?

Do you think the U.S. made the right decision or the wrong decision in using military force against Iraq?

How well is the U.S. military effort in Iraq going?

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 2,007 American adults, conducted from Oct. 17 to Oct. 23, 2007. Margin of error is 2 per cent.

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