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The perception that the U.S. troop surge in Iraq has succeeded is changing some public views of the war, potentially blunting Democrats' political edge on the issue.

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WASHINGTON - Growing numbers of people think the U.S. is making progress in Iraq and will eventually be able to claim some success there, a poll showed Tuesday in a sign the politics of the war could become more complicated for Democrats. With diminishing U.S. and Iraqi casualties and the start of modest troop withdrawals, the public's mood seems to have brightened a bit, the Associated Press-Ipsos poll showed. That is a rarity in what has been a relentlessly unpopular war. "I still have hopes the people in Iraq will appreciate us being there," said Daniel Laird, 30, a firefighter...

Being against the war after she was for it, could it be soon be time for Hillary to be for it again? The question arises in light of the recent findings by Charles Franklin [pictured here] at Pollster.com. According to his November 6th Pollster.com analysis, there has been a "remarkable" shift, in a postive direction, in public opinion on the war in Iraq. Excerpts from Franklin's Ten Months of Opinion Change on War and More [emphasis added]:

Polls: Distaste for Iraq war unchanged WASHINGTON - Gen. David Petraeus' report to Congress and President Bush's nationally televised address have had little impact on Americans' distaste for the Iraq war and their desire to withdraw U.S. troops, polls show. Fifty-four percent still favor bringing the troops home as soon as possible, a measurement that has not changed in months, according to a poll released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. And despite slight improvements in peoples' views of military progress, more said the U.S. will likely fail in Iraq than succeed by 47 percent to 42 percent, about...

NEW YORK — The latest FOX News poll shows that while President Bush’s job rating remains low and a majority of Americans disapproves of his performance, his approval rating is up this week to its highest level in five months. Today 37 percent of Americans say they approve of the job Bush is doing, up from 33 percent last month, and 58 percent disapprove. In addition, approval of Congress also increased: 32 percent of Americans approve, up from 24 percent in August, and 56 percent disapprove. As Americans traditionally begin to focus more on political and public policy issues after...

Unreported facts from the ABC survey in Iraq September 10, 2007 http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/1043a1IraqWhereThingsStand.pdf 1. Surveyors were anonymous-- refer to troops as occupiers. This is important since it jeopardizes the lives of respondents if they speak favorably of coalition forces. Speaking favorably of anti coalition forces brings no personal risk. SURVEYORS SHOULD HAVE IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AND TAKEN THAT RISK FOR THEMSELVES AND NOT THRUST IT UPON RESPONDENTS 2. The surge has worked: "Thirty-eight percent in Anbar province, a focal point of the surge, now rate local security positively; none did so six months ago. In Baghdad fewer now describe themselves as feeling...

—Another glass-half-full analysis— A day after the Washington Post/ABC News poll highlighted the failure of the multi-million dollar anti-war campaign this summer to decrease support for the war in Iraq (their poll showed most positions unchanged on the war, and that support for the surge actually grew since July), the New York Times/CBS News poll shows similar results. The NYT/CBS poll showed a 16 percent jump since July among respondents who believe the surge is making the situation in Iraq better. And for the first time since the surge began, the NYT/CBS poll shows more people believe the surge is...

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...

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...

The latest of four opinion polls commissioned by the BBC and ABC has provided a revealing insight into the everyday lives, hopes and fears of people living in Iraq.

Petraeus set to testify as pressures mount WASHINGTON - As General David H. Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, prepared to report to Congress today on gains made by the surge of 30,000 additional US troops in Iraq, two national polls released yesterday indicated that a majority of Americans believe the increased US troop presence has failed to deliver significant improvements in the war-torn country. The polls are troubling signs for the Bush administration's intensifying efforts to keep up American support for a large-scale troop presence in Iraq. Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, are slated...

CBS) With President Bush's top military and diplomatic advisers on Iraq due to deliver a major progress report on the president's "surge" strategy, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds that an increasing number of Americans believe the troop buildup in Iraq is having a positive impact. U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus are expected to warn Congress on Monday that making any significant changes to the current war strategy will jeopardize the limited security and political progress made so far. Later in the week, Mr. Bush plans a national address. The poll finds 35 percent say...

Most people across the world believe US-led forces should withdraw from Iraq within a year, a BBC poll suggests.Some 39% of people in 22 countries said troops should leave now, and 28% backed a gradual pull-out. Just 23% wanted them to stay until Iraq was safe. In the US, one-in-four supported an immediate withdrawal, while 32% wanted Iraq's security issues to be resolved before bringing the troops home. The BBC World Service commissioned the survey of 23,193 people. In the survey, people were asked whether coalition troops should pull out of Iraq immediately, commit to a gradual withdrawal over a...

UPI/Zogby Poll: Most Americans Say Iraq War Not Lost Survey finds two in three Democrats believe the war is already lost A majority of Americans - 54% - believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq, but there is dramatic disagreement on the question between Democrats and Republicans, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same. The poll comes ahead of a September report to Congress by David Petraeus, commander of the multi-national force in Iraq, on the progress...

The White House believes it has made significant progress over the past month in swaying public and political opinion toward supporting a continued U.S. military effort in Iraq, one of President Bush's closest advisers said in an interview. "The end of the August feels a lot better than the beginning of August when it comes to where we are relative to perceptions of our Iraq policy and what is working," said Ed Gillespie, counselor to the president. Congress returns Tuesday from a monthlong recess that did not go according to plan for Democratic leaders and the antiwar movement, who were...

A majority of Americans say the United States can win the war in Iraq, but the country is sharply divided along party lines about every aspect of the war, according to a United Press International/Zogby poll released today. The poll shows 54 percent of Americans said the war is not lost. However, among Democrats, 66 percent said the mission has failed already, compared to 9 percent of Republicans who shared that view. The survey also showed the country split on the success of the U.S. troop surge ordered earlier this year by President Bush and on the wartime performance of...

A majority of Americans - 54% - believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq, but there is dramatic disagreement on the question between Democrats and Republicans, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same. Asked to define a U.S. victory in Iraq, 37% of American adults overall said it would be achieved when Iraq gains control over its own internal security (a view with which 58% of Republicans, but just 17% of Democrats, agree). But nearly as many...

A recent poll shows that 40% of Americans think Saddam is behind the 9/11 attacks. Despite the MSM propaganda and the US establishment denials, it proves that a solid proportion of the folks is not easy to fool. Many FReepers and American citizens have been amazed how the US establishment buried the story of the links between Al-Qaeda and Iraq, despite overhelming evidences of ties between the two. Many people don't understand how the FBI could still claim to have NO IDEA of who committed the anthrax attacks against the United States, despite the gravity of this event. Many people...

Many Americans have lingering confusion about Iraq's role in the 9/11 attacks, a new Newsweek study reveals. For its "What You Need to Know" cover story, Newsweek found troubling gaps in knowledge of the 1,001 adult Americans who participated in a poll to test their knowledge of politics, foreign affairs, business, technology and popular culture. As the poll summary reports: "The results were mixed, to be charitible." Even today, more than four years into the war in Iraq, as many as four in 10 Americans (41 percent) still believe Saddam Hussein’s regime was directly involved in financing, planning or carrying...