More Polling, Same Result

NBC/WSJ:

According to the poll, just 30 percent approve of Bush’s handling of Iraq, but that’s an eight-point improvement from July. The increase comes primarily from Republicans, men and independents, the NBC/Journal pollsters say.

That's something (slight improvements are conservatives/Republicans coming home, as Tim Russert notes on NBC Nightly News) we've made a point of stressing.

In addition, only 35 percent believe that removing Saddam Hussein from power was worth the U.S. casualties and the cost of the war. By comparison, 56 percent say it wasn’t worth it.

And when asked what they think is the most acceptable outcome to the war in Iraq, 24 percent say that American troops should remain in Iraq until it becomes a stable democracy. Twenty-six percent want them to begin the process of leaving now, and 37 percent want them to leave within the next year — but still keep some of them in the region. [exact wording]

Other polls have that as roughly a third each, but the polls agree that "start to get out" is the majority. "Stay the course" is a loser.

As far as the horse race, the same results and caveats apply.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., continues to enjoy a commanding lead over her rivals for the Democratic nomination. She’s the choice of 44 percent of Democratic primary voters — followed by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama at 23 percent and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards at 16 percent.

That’s a nearly 2-to-1 advantage over Obama and a nearly 3-to-1 edge over Edwards. No other Democratic presidential candidate registers at more than 4 percent in the poll.

"The race is static," says Newhouse, the GOP pollster. "Sen. Clinton continues to far outpace the other candidates."

Hart cautions, however, that national polls tend to be trailing indicators when analyzing the presidential horse race. "If somebody does well in Iowa and New Hampshire, their numbers are naturally going to flip overnight."

Meanwhile, newly announced candidate Fred Thompson has cut into Rudy Giuliani’s lead in the contest for the Republican nomination. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, is the choice of 32 percent of GOP primary voters — followed by Thompson at 26 percent, Arizona Sen. John McCain at 14 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 11 percent.

Polling suggests that Americans aren't pleased with all the horse race stuff.

Fifty-seven percent say the early start has had a negative effect, because candidates will raise and spend too much money and voters will lose interest in the campaign.

All in all, new numbers, no new insights. Democrats have support for their position, and their position (and ours) of responsible withdrawal and a change of course is very much mainstream, but that you knew. So let's end with a word from Maureen Dowd from behind the (doomed) Times Select firewall.

Republicans seemed oblivious to the fact that they may have scored points short term while laying the groundwork for disaster long term. W. won’t care because he’s not running, but it will be political suicide for Republicans entering the campaign with 130,000 troops still in Iraq.

As Lindsey Graham joked to the witnesses about Congress, referring to the talk of the dysfunctional Iraqi government, "You could say we’re dysfunctional and you wouldn’t be wrong."

Yeah. Terrific, Lindsey.