80% of Americans Think Bush’s New Iraq Language is Just Spin

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Via Political Wire (an excellent poll and politics site; if you haven’t checked it out, you should):

“A substantial majority of Americans expect Democrats to reduce or end American military involvement in Iraq if they seize control of Congress next Tuesday, and say that Republicans would maintain — or increase — troop levels to try to win the war,” according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

“The poll found that just 29% of Americans approve of the way President Bush is managing the war in Iraq, matching the lowest mark of his presidency. Nearly 70% of Americans said Mr. Bush did not have a plan to end the war, and 80% said Mr. Bush’s latest offensive to rally public support for the conflict amounted to a change in language but not policy.

“The poll underlined the extent to which the war in Iraq has framed the midterm elections. It comes at a time when Democratic challengers across the country are running a final sweep of television advertisements attacking Mr. Bush’s handling of the war and as even some Republican incumbents — fearful of being swept out of office because of public opposition to the war — have become critical of it.”

In the generic congressional ballot, Democrats lead Republicans by a stunning 19 points, 53% to 33%.

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It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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