Election Central | Talking Points Memo | Poll: Percentage Favoring Withdrawal Has Gone Slightly Up Since Petraeus Show

Poll: Percentage Favoring Withdrawal Has Gone Slightly Up Since Petraeus Show

By Greg Sargent - September 18, 2007, 12:57PM

A new poll from CBS News finds that The Petraeus Show failed to budge public opinion on Iraq.

Indeed, the number favoring withdrawal actually edged slightly upwards since the Scholar Warrior testified before Congress -- even though Petraeus argued extensively in favor of maintaining our military presence there. The numbers:

Now:
Increased 6%
Kept same 21%
Reduced 39%
Remove all troops 29%

Pre-speech, 9/4-8/2007:

Increased 11%
Kept same 19%
Reduced 35%
Remove all troops 30%

Before the testimony, 65% wanted the troops reduced or removed entirely; now that number is up to 68%. That's within the margin of error, but it's still up rather than down.

Meanwhile, the poll also finds that only 31% think the surge has had a positive impact -- the message that was blared at the public for days and days leading up to and during Petraeus' testimony. More than half -- 51% -- say it's had no impact.

Can we say that The Petraeus Show was a flop yet?

Comments (34)

Patrick T. Cunningham wrote on September 18, 2007 1:36 PM:

You've linked to the wrong CBS poll story.

Hank Essay wrote on September 18, 2007 1:37 PM:

Yes, the Show was a flop.

How's that?

Patrick T. Cunningham wrote on September 18, 2007 1:39 PM:

The CBS poll story you want is here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/17/opinion/polls/main3268663.shtml

Greg wrote on September 18, 2007 1:41 PM:

great, thanks. sorry about that

Anonymous wrote on September 18, 2007 1:53 PM:

Greg: Now that you've corrected the links, please delete this and my two previous comments so I don't look like an idiot. Thanks.

KingElvis wrote on September 18, 2007 2:02 PM:

Numbers for total withdrawal are down though.

I think the point here is that hardly anyone but diehard news junkies saw/heard any part of the testimony.

I'm kinda news junky-ish and I resented that NPR went gavel to gavel on it. It was boring as watching paint dry and no surprises at all.

Especially annoying were GOP sucking up to G Pet - disgustingly slimy - and then the mock outrage directed toward the MoveOn advert turned my stomach. Where's the resolution condemning Anne Coulter?

Redshift wrote on September 18, 2007 2:03 PM:

I've actually been wondering if Bush's attempt to co-opt the "withdrawal" meme by pretending that necessary end of the "surge" is a withdrawal is going to backfire by making it more acceptable to talk about withdrawal. It's too early to tell, but this could be a sign of that effect.

moiI wrote on September 18, 2007 2:19 PM:

I think the general public has come to terms with the "failure" aspect of this war. They no longer care if we fail -- though they probably don't like the idea much, they have accepted that we have failed. And they are ready to move on. Get the troops of of there -- put the war in the past. Get on with it. Put the failure behind us.

The bushies are still trying to "win." They don't seem to see that the general public doesn't see winning as still in the picture. The gap is only going to widen, I think.

rmrd0000 wrote on September 18, 2007 2:25 PM:

This suggests that the MSM diversion using he MoveOn ad also did not have major impact.
Is there no one at the news networks who realize that MSM approvals are probably lower than Congress?

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