Opposition to the Iraq war has climbed to a record high and President George W Bush’s approval rating dropped to a new low amid growing dissent from members of his own Republican party over his war strategy, according to a new USA Today poll.
Mr Bush’s approval dropped to 29 per cent in the poll taken Friday through Sunday, down from 33 per cent in early June, USA Today reported on Tuesday.
One in five Americans said the increase in US forces in Iraq has made the situation there better while half said it has made no difference, the newspaper said.
More than seven in 10 Americans favour withdrawing nearly all US troops from Iraq by April, the newspaper said. More than half, 55 per cent, said the Congress should wait to hear an assessment from Gen David Petraeus before developing new Iraq policy.
Mr Petraeus, the commander of US forces in Iraq, is due to deliver his findings in September, but 40 per cent of those polled said the Congress should act now.
Sixty-two per cent said the US made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, marking the first time that number has topped 60 per cent in this survey.
The poll also showed support for Mr Bush slipping among Republicans who gave him a 68 per cent rating, down from an average 92 per cent in his first term. Nearly four in 10 Republicans cited the immigration debate, which ended in defeat for Bush’s overhaul proposal, as the reason for losing confidence in him.