The number of Americans who believe it is possible for the U.S. to win the War in Iraq has increased over the past year.

Forty percent (40%) of American voters now say victory in Iraq is possible. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that a slightly larger percentage—44%--disagree and say victory is not possible. Republicans, by a 3-to-1 margin, say victory is possible. Democrats, by a similar margin, say it is not. Unaffiliated voters are evenly divided. A plurality of men say victory is possible while a plurality of women say it is not.

Those figures reflect more optimism than was found a year ago. In July 2007, just 32% of American voters said that victory was possible and 54% disagreed. Republican voters and unaffiliated voters are more optimistic than they were a year ago. There has been little change among Democrats.

The latest survey also found that only 5% believe that terrorist organizations will stop attacking the United States if we withdraw our troops from Iraq. Eighty percent (80%) disagree and believe that terrorists will continue attacking the U.S. regardless of whether or not we have troops in Iraq.

Separate survey results show that most voters place a higher priority on getting troops home than on winning the war. However, voters also express concerns about what happens when the troops leave Iraq.

Just 13% believe that withdrawing troops from Iraq will make the United States safer than it is today. Thirty-eight percent (38%) say that withdrawing troops from Iraq will make the United States less safe and 45% say it will have no impact.

Fifty percent (50%) say that the people of Iraq will be less safe if U.S. troops withdraw. Only 8% believe the Iraqi people will be safer without U.S. troops.

Voters see Iraq as one of the biggest differences between the leading Presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. Voters overwhelmingly believe that Obama’s top priority is getting troops home while they see McCain’s top priority as winning the war.

Obama and McCain remain very closely matched in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll. Key stats on the race can be found at Obama-McCain: By the Numbers.

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