Obama Remains Popular on Afghanistan Surge

12/9/2009, by Proloy Bhatta

HIGHLIGHTS

• Support for Afghanistan Surge, Bloomberg: 62%
• Quinnipiac: 58%
• 46% of Democrats now support the war in Afghanistan.

The four polls conducted prior to the Afghanistan surge found that just 44% supported sending more troops. Since Obama made his announcement, the poll of polls finds that 58% support the surge.

Bloomberg, in their recently conducted poll, found 62% of Americans are supportive of the surge. Obama gets poor marks on domestic issues but high marks on foreign policy.

Americans have a negative view of his efforts on the economy, health care, the financial crisis and the federal budget deficit. The only area where he earns high ratings is foreign policy, with 59 percent of Americans saying they approve of the way he manages relations with other countries, and 62 percent who support his plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, though opinion is divided about setting a deadline for withdrawal.

Here is what FOX News had to say about the Quinnipiac poll:

Since the last poll, Quinnipac has measured a rise in Democratic support for the war from 58-31 to a 46 percent split. Republican support climbed from 68 percent support to 71 percent.

"President Barack Obama's nationally televised speech explaining his policy and troop buildup has worked, at least in the short term, in bolstering support for the war effort and his decisions," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "History teaches that the bully pulpit can be a powerful tool for a president who knows how to use it, especially when it comes to foreign policy."

On the flip side, 66 percent of voters polled said the president does not deserve the Nobel prize compared to 26 percent who do, and 41 percent said the choice of Obama diminishes their image of the award. Six percent said it makes them think better of the prize and 49 percent said it makes no difference.