Voters Want New Direction in Iraq

From today's Center for American Progress Report:
Because Of Iraq... When Americans go to the polls on November 7, they will not be voting because Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) botched a joke about President Bush on Monday, notwithstanding the national media's 48-hour fixation on Kerry's remarks. Nor will they be voting because President Bush, also on Monday, claimed that if critics of his Iraq policy are victorious, "the terrorists win and America loses." (That comment was mostly ignored.) According to the final pre-election New York Times/CBS poll, Americans will be voting because they desperately want a new direction in Iraq. The Times reports, "Americans cited Iraq as the most important issue affecting their vote, and majorities of Republicans and Democrats said they wanted a change in the government’s approach to the war."

Just 29 percent of Americans approve of the way President Bush is managing Iraq strategy, "matching the lowest mark of his presidency," and nearly 70 percent "said Mr. Bush did not have a plan to end the war." (Veterans advocacy group VoteVets.org has released a powerful ad underscoring this point, titled "Because of Iraq..." Watch it.)