New poll: most Americans want war funding cut
The Washington Post published a poll today showing that the majority of Americans do not want to see President Bush receive the full $190 billion he is requesting to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and want Congress to take more aggressive action to rein him in:
Overall, 55 percent of Americans want congressional Democrats to do more to challenge the president’s Iraq policies, while a third think the Democrats have gone too far. The level of agitation for more action in opposition to the war has not dissipated since August 2005, when Democrats were the minority party in Congress.
More than eight in 10 liberal Democrats said Congress has been too restrained, while about the same percentage of conservative Republicans said it has been too aggressive. A narrow majority of independents, 53 percent, want more congressional action…
…There is broader public agreement on how Congress should approach war funding. About a quarter of adults want Congress to fund fully the administration’s $190 billion request; seven in 10 want the proposed allocation reduced, with 46 percent wanting it cut sharply or entirely. About seven in 10 independents want Congress to cut back funds allocated for the war effort, as do nearly nine in 10 Democrats; 46 percent of Republicans agree.
The evidence indicating that Congress can maintain public support with stronger action to end the war continues to pile up. Reports are coming out that Congress will not likely take up the war spending bill until January of 2008, leaving more time to pressure them to take a stronger stand.