Iraq, the issue that enabled the Democrats to regain control of Congress, remains among the most partisan of issues in the United States today. A solid plurality of Democrats, 47%, believes the troops should be brought home from Iraq immediately. At the same time, a solid plurality of Republicans, 41%, believes that the troops should stay until the mission is completed.

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Democrats favor either an immediate withdrawal of troops or a firm timetable for withdrawal. Only 27% of Republicans share those views.

A separate survey found a similar gap on the overall War on Terror --70% of Republicans say the United States is winning. Only 22% of Democrats agree.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of all voters trust Republicans more than Democrats when it comes to Iraq. Only 35% trust Republicans more. Democrats are trusted more on each of ten issues tracked by Rasmussen Reports (although Republicans have recently made gains on the immigration issue).

Nineteen percent (19%) of voters believe things will get better for the people of Iraq when the US troops leave. Forty-five percent (45%) believe they will get worse. Another 19% believe things will remain pretty much the same. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Republicans believe things will get worse for the Iraqi people. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Democrats hold the same view along with 40% of those not affiliated with either major party.

Overall, voters are expecting things to get worse--just 26% think things will get better in Iraq over the next six months; 51% say they'll get worse.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of all Americans say President Bush is doing a poor job handling the situation in Iraq. Just 27% say he is doing a good or an excellent job.

While most Americans favor withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq, few Americans believe that withdrawal from Iraq will end the terrorist attacks on the United States.

Americans aren’t terribly optimistic about getting the troops home any time soon. An earlier survey found that Americans overwhelmingly expect combat troops on the ground when President Bush leaves office. The current survey found that just 12% say it’s Very Likely troops will come home during the first year of the next President’s term in office. Twenty-nine percent (29%) say it’s Somewhat Likely for the troops to come home that quickly.

Rasmussen Reports regularly tracks public attitudes towards Congress, the War on Terror, and other topics. Rasmussen Reports also continuously updates favorability ratings and general election match-ups for all Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates along with ratings for Members of Congress, Other Political Figures, and Journalists. The President’s Job Approval ratings are updated daily.

Rasmussen Reports conducts ongoing surveys measuring the attitudes of Americans on the news of the day. Recent surveys have asked about the War in Iraq, immigration, gun control, concerns about additional terrorist attacks, trust in Congress, and the Supreme Court decision on partial-birth abortion. The latest updates can be found on the Rasmussen Reports home page.

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