(AP)
Updated: 2007-09-11 21:06

In the poll - taken in the days just before Petraeus' long-awaited appearance - more people rated the troop increase a flop than a success by 58 percent to 36 percent, with three in 10 Republicans joining majorities of Democrats and independents in foreseeing failure.

Positive reviews of the troop increase were at about the same level as they were in mid-January, just after Bush announced the buildup.

That didn't match Petraeus' appraisal.

"In the face of tough enemies in the brutal summer heat of Iraq, coalition and Iraqi security forces have achieved progress in the security arena," he told House lawmakers. He later added, "I believe Iraq's problems will require a long-term effort. There are no easy answers or quick solutions."

People calling it a mistake to go to war in March 2003 outnumbered those calling it the right decision by 57 percent to 37 percent, numbers that have stayed about level for more than a year. About a quarter of Republicans, along with most Democrats and independents, labeled the war an error.

Among those in the poll supporting the conflict is Ronald Shaul, 62, a Republican and retired military intelligence officer.

"It was a logical outgrowth of the war on terror, started long ago by Islamic extremists," said Shaul, who lives in Hopkinsville, Ky.

Overall, those viewing the war and the troop buildup most negatively tended to be groups that often lean Democratic: females, minorities, those with lower incomes and those with less education.

For example, about two-thirds of women and half of men said the troop increase had not worked, while more minorities than whites said the war had been a mistake.

But the war remains unpopular with another group crucial to both political parties: moderates. Nearly two-thirds of them said the war and troop increase were failing and that the conflict was a mistake from the start.

Two groups that normally support the Bush administration - white evangelical voters and conservatives - remained largely behind its war strategy.

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