--Almost four in five Iraqis say the U.S. military force in
Iraq provokes more violence than it prevents.
--About 61 percent approved of the attacks — up from 47 percent in January. A solid majority of Shiite and Sunni Arabs approved of the attacks, according to the poll. The increase came mostly among Shiite Iraqis.
--An overwhelmingly negative opinion of terror chief bin Laden and more than half, 57 percent, disapproving of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
--Three-fourths say they think the United States plans to keep military bases in Iraq permanently.
--A majority of Iraqis, 72 percent, say they think Iraq will be one state five years from now. Shiite Iraqis were most likely to feel that way, though a majority of Sunnis and Kurds also believed that would be the case.
The White House reaction was typical spin. When Helen Thomas asked about the poll at a press conference, Tony Snow told her, "The other interesting thing is if you look in the region, there are only two countries that want us to leave immediately. And you know what they are? They're Syria and Iran. They're the key supporters of terror. They understand that our departure is good for them, and success for us in the region is bad for them. And we're simply not going to back off our commitment."
Let's hope Snow is just putting out bullshit spin, anyway. Otherwise, he's basically saying that Iran and Syria can dictate US foreign policy by announcing what they oppose -- i.e., the US will do the opposite of what Iran and Syria say they want.
Reverse psychology really shouldn't work on anyone older than three.
Tags: news politics war disaster Iraq Iran Syria propaganda poll White House
