Polling the Surge

Americans aren't buying it:

Americans' mood about the conflict hasn't improved since Mr. Bush announced his new policy of sending another 21,500 troops to improve security in Baghdad and the rest of the country. Just 20% of respondents characterize themselves as "more confident" the war will conclude successfully, while 69% say "less confident"; that's essentially unchanged since January.

Nor are Americans feeling positive about the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Just 28% say that conflict is going well, while 69% say it isn't.

Among the poll's more striking findings is the high level of public interest fully 20 months before Election Day. About three in four Americans say they are following the campaign "fairly" or "very" closely; that's not far below the proportion that reported paying close attention to the president race in October 2000 -- one month before the election.

I think the latter amazing stat is a function of the previous one. We know this presidency is over and that the war is going very, very badly; we're simply waiting to see who can take us from here. The trouble is: we have almost two years still to go. And al Qaeda isn't going to wait.