A new poll by ABC/Time shows that the Iraqi polling numbers tossed around by Democrats for the past month in defense of their cut-and-run "strategy" were bald-faced lies. The Oxford study underwritten by the network and news magazine determined that not only has Iraqi optimism increased dramatically throughout 2005, more than half of those polled believe that the US should stay in Iraq until Iraqi security services have been fully trained:

An ABC News poll in Iraq, conducted with Time magazine and other media partners, includes some remarkable results: Despite the daily violence there, most living conditions are rated positively, seven in 10 Iraqis say their own lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead.

Surprisingly, given the insurgents' attacks on Iraqi civilians, more than six in 10 Iraqis feel very safe in their own neighborhoods, up sharply from just 40 percent in a poll in June 2004. And 61 percent say local security is good — up from 49 percent in the first ABC News poll in Iraq in February 2004.

Nonetheless, nationally, security is seen as the most pressing problem by far; 57 percent identify it as the country's top priority. Economic improvements are helping the public mood.

Average household incomes have soared by 60 percent in the last 20 months (to $263 a month), 70 percent of Iraqis rate their own economic situation positively, and consumer goods are sweeping the country. In early 2004, 6 percent of Iraqi households had cell phones; now it's 62 percent. Ownership of satellite dishes has nearly tripled, and many more families now own air conditioners (58 percent, up from 44 percent), cars, washing machines and kitchen appliances.

There are positive political signs as well. Three-quarters of Iraqis express confidence in the national elections being held this week, 70 percent approve of the new constitution, and 70 percent — including most people in Sunni and Shiite areas alike — want Iraq to remain a unified country. ... Preference for a democratic political structure has advanced, to 57 percent of Iraqis, while support for an Islamic state has lost ground, to 14 percent (the rest, 26 percent, chiefly in Sunni Arab areas, favor a "single strong leader.")

This looks like the progress that Joe Lieberman mentioned when he returned from his last visit from Iraq and tried to explain to his colleagues that preaching disaster and falling skies simply didn't match reality. Another point also demonstrates the lies that Democrats have used in trying to scare the American public into losing the war. It turns out that 80% of Iraqis don't want the Americans out "right now", but only 26%. In fact, 52% want the US to leave no sooner than when their army and security forces have received adequate training to handle internal and external threats by themselves -- which is exactly what the Bush administration plan requires.

Will we see Jack Murtha apologize for using bogus numbers provided from biased sources? Highly doubtful. Instead, I predict that Murtha will continue to spout the obviously bad survey numbers as he clings to the remnants of his national relevance, and that the Democrats try to bury these new numbers as soon as possible.

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» A new and fascinating poll from Iraq.... from Media Lies
....has been published by ABC. There's lots of positive news in the poll. For example

Surprisingly, given the insurgents' att...

Tracked on December 12, 2005 9:38 PM

» Iraq Strategy: Vindicated from Hennessy's View
Last week, a colleague commented that he only put credence into international polls. As if the poll gods were listening, today ABC News released the most affirming poll for President Bush’s Iraq strategy ever conducted. It must have pained the ABC... [Read More]

Tracked on December 12, 2005 9:50 PM

» A new and fascinating poll from Iraq.... from Media Lies
....has been published by ABC. There's lots of positive news in the poll. For example

Surprisingly, given the insurgents' att...

Tracked on December 12, 2005 10:05 PM