Most Americans (54%) favor leaving U.S. soldiers in Iraq until that country's political situation is stabilized. A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 Likely Voters found that 31% are opposed to that policy.

The survey also found that most American voters believe it will take a lengthy period of time for Iraq to reach political stability. In fact, 60% of voters say it will take at least three years (including 27% who say that goal will take more than five years to accomplish).

Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters now say we can't win the War on Terror without first stabilizing the political situation in Iraq. Only 29% believe it is possible to win the War on Terror without a stable political situation in the country once dominated by Saddam Hussein.

A separate survey found that Americans found that establishing a free and peaceful Iraq is more important than capturing Osama bin Laden.

In terms of military force, 39% of American voters believe we should be using more military force in Iraq. Twenty-six percent (26%) are comfortable with the current level of military force while 22% say we should use less.

While there are partisan and ideological differences on all questions concerning Iraq, the breakdowns for the question about military force highlight the challenges faced by John Kerry.

Bush voters are fairly united on the amount of military force we should be using in Iraq--51% would like to see more force than we are currently using while another 37% say the current level is appropriate.

As for Kerry voters, only 15% are happy with the current level of military force. But, there is disagreement among the Kerry constituency as to what kind of change is needed. Forty percent (40%) of Kerry supporters say we should be using less force. Twenty-eight percent (28%) say the U.S. should be using more military power.

Overall, by a 51% to 40% margin, voters say they trust Bush more than Kerry to handle the situation in Iraq.

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Rasmussen Reports is an independent public opinion research firm that provides daily updates on the Presidential election and the nation's economic confidence. We also update our Electoral College projections on a regular basis.