Opposition to War at All-Time High, Surge Regarded as Failing, in New Poll

The New York Times has just released a poll showing that "six in 10 Americans say the United States should have stayed out of Iraq and more than three in four say things are going badly there – including nearly half who say things are going very badly." It is the most negative result on the war since it began.

Sixty-three percent favor a timetable for withdrawal, but "a majority support continuing to fund the war as long as the Iraqi government meets specific goals." Seventy-six percent, including a majority of Republicans, say the additional troops sent under Bush's troop "surge" plan "have either had no impact or are making things worse in Iraq." At 33% Bush is near his lowest approval ratings ever, and a record 72% say the country is "seriously off on the wrong track."

The Democratic Party's approval rating is solidly above the GOP:

For the first time, more than half of those polled, 51 percent, said the Democratic party is more likely than the Republican party to make the right decisions about the war in Iraq. More broadly, Americans have a more favorable view of the Democratic party than of the Republican party. Fifty-three percent say they have a favorable opinion of the Democratic party, while 38 percent, have a favorable view of the Republican party.