Military Seen as Best Able to Guide War (Americans Trust Generals, Not Bush or Congress)

New York Times ^ | September 10, 2007 | STEVEN LEE MYERS and MEGAN THEE

[RWR8189]

Americans trust military commanders far more than the Bush administration or Congress to bring the war in Iraq to a successful end, and while most favor a withdrawal of American troops beginning next year, they suggested they were open to doing so at a measured pace, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

On the eve of what is sure to be a contentious debate on Iraq, the results underscored the benefits to the White House of entrusting the top American commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, to make the case that an increase in American forces this year had been successful enough to continue into next year.

Today, General Petraeus will appear on Capitol Hill along with the American ambassador to Iraq, Ryan C. Crocker, in what has become the most anticipated testimony from a military commander in decades.

The poll found that both Congress, whose approval rating now stands at its lowest level since Democrats took control from the Republicans last year, and Mr. Bush enter the debate with little public confidence in their ability to deal with Iraq. Only 5 percent of Americans — a strikingly low number for a sitting president’s handling of such a dominant issue — said they most trusted the Bush administration to resolve the war, the poll found. Asked to choose among the administration, Congress and military commanders, 21 percent said they would most trust Congress and 68 percent expressed most trust in military commanders.

That is almost certainly why the White House has presented General Petraeus and Mr. Crocker as unbiased professionals, not Bush partisans. President Bush has said for years that decisions about force levels should be left to military commanders, although the decision to send an additional 20,000 troops to Iraq this year and keep them

[pawdoggie]

While I was waiting for Drudge this evening, I heard the ABC Radio news reader cite some poll which allegedly indicated that a majority of Americans fear that the Petraeus report would be doctored to make the situation in Iraq seem better than it really is. Of course, I considered the source (ABC News) as I listened to the report.

[Flavius]

i know generals are cool and all but what about the people doing actual fighting door to door

what do they think

[LZ_Bayonet]

I also heard the ABC Radio report. IMO - their leftist radio propaganda (it is not "news reporting") is even more consistenly biased than their left-wing biased TV programming.

Thank goodness for the internet; these people and their two partners in leftist propaganda totally dominated audio/video programming in the past.