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So finds a CNN/ORC International poll released Monday, showing that just 17 percent of those surveyed support the war--a significant fall from 52 percent in December 2008. Meanwhile, 82 percent say they oppose the war--a jump from 46 percent in 2008.
"Those numbers show the war in Afghanistan with far less support than other conflicts," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Opposition to the Iraq war never got higher than 69% in CNN polling while U.S. troops were in that country, and while the Vietnam War was in progress, no more than six in 10 ever told Gallup's interviewers that war was a mistake."
The poll, with a reported margin of error of plus or minus three percent, finds a little over half want U.S. troops withdrawn before President Obama's publicly stated December 2014 deadline. Only 25 percent say that boots should remain on the ground in Afghanistan past that date.
Despite tanking public support, the Obama administration is pushing for Afghan ratification of the so-called Bilateral Security Agreement, which would extend U.S. military presence far beyond the promised 2014 withdrawal deadline. The pact, which would also grant U.S. troops and contractors immunity under Afghan law and allow continued violent raids of Afghan homes, is currently stalled over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign it.
Monday's poll comes on the heels of an AP/GFK poll, previously reported by Common Dreams, which finds that a majority of the U.S. public thinks the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan was the "wrong thing" to do and that the withdrawal is moving too slowly.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

So finds a CNN/ORC International poll released Monday, showing that just 17 percent of those surveyed support the war--a significant fall from 52 percent in December 2008. Meanwhile, 82 percent say they oppose the war--a jump from 46 percent in 2008.
"Those numbers show the war in Afghanistan with far less support than other conflicts," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Opposition to the Iraq war never got higher than 69% in CNN polling while U.S. troops were in that country, and while the Vietnam War was in progress, no more than six in 10 ever told Gallup's interviewers that war was a mistake."
The poll, with a reported margin of error of plus or minus three percent, finds a little over half want U.S. troops withdrawn before President Obama's publicly stated December 2014 deadline. Only 25 percent say that boots should remain on the ground in Afghanistan past that date.
Despite tanking public support, the Obama administration is pushing for Afghan ratification of the so-called Bilateral Security Agreement, which would extend U.S. military presence far beyond the promised 2014 withdrawal deadline. The pact, which would also grant U.S. troops and contractors immunity under Afghan law and allow continued violent raids of Afghan homes, is currently stalled over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign it.
Monday's poll comes on the heels of an AP/GFK poll, previously reported by Common Dreams, which finds that a majority of the U.S. public thinks the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan was the "wrong thing" to do and that the withdrawal is moving too slowly.
_____________________

So finds a CNN/ORC International poll released Monday, showing that just 17 percent of those surveyed support the war--a significant fall from 52 percent in December 2008. Meanwhile, 82 percent say they oppose the war--a jump from 46 percent in 2008.
"Those numbers show the war in Afghanistan with far less support than other conflicts," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Opposition to the Iraq war never got higher than 69% in CNN polling while U.S. troops were in that country, and while the Vietnam War was in progress, no more than six in 10 ever told Gallup's interviewers that war was a mistake."
The poll, with a reported margin of error of plus or minus three percent, finds a little over half want U.S. troops withdrawn before President Obama's publicly stated December 2014 deadline. Only 25 percent say that boots should remain on the ground in Afghanistan past that date.
Despite tanking public support, the Obama administration is pushing for Afghan ratification of the so-called Bilateral Security Agreement, which would extend U.S. military presence far beyond the promised 2014 withdrawal deadline. The pact, which would also grant U.S. troops and contractors immunity under Afghan law and allow continued violent raids of Afghan homes, is currently stalled over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign it.
Monday's poll comes on the heels of an AP/GFK poll, previously reported by Common Dreams, which finds that a majority of the U.S. public thinks the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan was the "wrong thing" to do and that the withdrawal is moving too slowly.
_____________________