How do you explain the consistent polls showing something like 80 percent of Iraqis wanting American forces gone from the country then? All phoney?
Sorry, but the Maliki government isn't representative of its people, and it has no choice at this point-relying on the decisions of a government that would likely be killed if it kicked out the U.S. does not make sense as a means of assessing Iraqi opinion.
Rather, look at what happens when the government that is inviting U.S. troops to stay tries to fight: mutiny by the thousands, and a disgraceful defeat at the hands of Al Sadr's rag tag militia. That is the sign of an unpopular crony regime, not the foundations of a new rome.
Show me these polls. Polls can be made to say anything. Try talking to the people in the streets.
Maliki is doing better but still doesn't control the government like he should. There are lot of things going on behind the scenes even the politicians don't get to see.
Sure. I have posted several of these to you before on this same subject. I am not aware of one single source, including the U.S. military, claiming that there is anything approaching a majority in Iraq that supports U.S. troops remaining in the country. If you know of one, I'd certainly like to see it.
Here are just a few of the polls showing around 80 percent support for a withdrawal of US forces from Iraq:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/26/AR2006092601721.htmlA strong majority of Iraqis want U.S.-led military forces to immediately withdraw from the country, saying their swift departure would make Iraq more secure and decrease sectarian violence, according to new polls by the State Department and independent researchers.
Here's a list that keeps getting updated of all the polls done in Iraq-see if you can find anything that remotely approaches support for the U.S. presence in Iraq there:
http://www.iraqanalysis.org/INFO/55Some of the relevant polls documented there:
About 70% of Iraqis believe security has deteriorated in the area covered by the US military "surge" of the past six months.
Suggests that 'the overall mood in Iraq is as negative as it has been since the US-led invasion in 2003'. Only 29% think things will get better in the next year, compared to 64% two years ago. Nearly 60% see attacks on US-led forces as justified.
95 per cent of respondents believe the security situation has deteriorated since the arrival of US forces
Nearly 66 per cent of respondents thought violence would decrease if US forces were to leave
Thirty-eight per cent were also "unconfident" that Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, would be able to improve the situation in Iraq and nearly 90 per cent described the government's implementation of its commitments and promises as very poor
36.5 per cent said they felt the official security forces were unable to keep control in the country
"A new WPO poll of the Iraqi public finds that seven in ten Iraqis want U.S.-led forces to commit to withdraw within a year. An overwhelming majority believes that the U.S. military presence in Iraq is provoking more conflict than it is preventing and there is growing confidence in the Iraqi army.
This is also a good one, linked on the Iraqanalysis site:
http://www.brookings.edu/saban/iraq-index.aspxSee page 50 of this report:
http://www.brookings.edu/saban/~/media/Files/Centers/Saban/Iraq%20Index/index20080424.pdfQUESTION: DO YOU SUPPORT THE PRESENEC OF COALITION FORCES IN IRAQ?
Strongly/Somewhat Support Strongly/Somewhat Oppose
FEBRUARY 2008 26% 73%
DETAIL:
Shia 23% 77%
Sunni 5% 95%
Apparently, there is no source anywhere that even alleges Iraqi support for a continued U.S. occupation of Iraq.
