The People of Iraq Are Speaking With One Voice Too

On Monday the Daily Kos published an item from DemFromCT entitled Iraqis Say Surge Has Failed, which highlighted details from a new joint poll run by ABC News, the BBC and Japanese broadcaster NHK. Here are just a few observations from the poll, but check out the Daily Kos for the whole story:

• The number of Iraqis endorsing attacks on US troops has INCREASED since March (i.e. since the surge has taken effect): 57% as compared to 50% now endorse such attacks (93% of Sunnis, 50% of Shiites, 5% of Kurds). [Note those Sunni numbers!]
• The number of Iraqis saying security has WORSENED since the current US troop buildup (this is an answer to a specific question about the "Surge") is 70%. Only 12% think it has improved things in the country.
• The number of Iraqis in favor of an IMMEDIATE withdrawal of US troops is now 47%, up from 34% in March.
• The number of respondents expressing "a great deal of confidence" in Coalition forces is 4%. The number expressing "no confidence at all" in coalition forces is 58% (up from 52% in March). Overall 85% of Iraqis express little or no confidence in coalition forces (up from 82% this March).
• 53% of Iraqis strongly oppose the presence of coalition forces (the highest number ever, up from March of this year). Only 5% strongly approve their
  presence. In total 79% disapprove of their presence and 21% approve their presence. This is unchanged from earlier this year.
• On "Al Qaeda," 0% of respondents support attacks by AQ on Iraqis, 1% support AQ attempts to "take over communities," but 48% support AQ attacks on Americans.
• The Maliki government has an approval rating now of 33% (down from 41% in March)