Rare poll reveals rift between president and troops

Rare poll reveals rift between president and troops
By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
Published: February 28 2006 23:54 | Last updated: February 28 2006 23:54. copyrigt by the Fnancial Times

President George W. Bush has repeatedly argued that a premature withdrawal from Iraq would dishonour the US troops who have died in Iraq. But a rare opinion poll of US military personnel in Iraq released on Tuesday suggested that only a quarter of US troops agreed with their commander-in-chief.

Mr Bush on Tuesday repeated his mantra, telling ABC news that “the US troops will stay so long as until the Iraqis can defend themselves… My policy has not changed”.

The Zogby International/Le Moyne College poll – the first attempt to gauge the opinion of US soldiers serving in Iraq – coincided with a separate CBS news poll which found that only 36 per cent of the US public believes things are going well in Iraq.

The CBS poll was conducted following the attack on the Shia mosque in Samarra, which sparked a wave of violence across Iraq, prompting concerns that Iraq could be on the brink of civil war.

In recent days, senior US officials have suggested that Iraq remains in a precarious state. But Mr Bush on Tuesday told ABC that he disagreed with those who suggested Iraq could be heading for full-scale civil war.

General Michael Maples, director of the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, told a Senate hearing on Tuesday: “I think we should take heart in the leaders who have come forward at this point, but we’re also in a very tenuous situation right now.

“I think that more violence, were it to occur, were it to be stimulated by al-Qaeda in Iraq, would have a very significant impact on the situation in Iraq.”

He warned that political progress would not necessarily stem the conflict. “Even moderate Sunni Arab leaders see violence as a complement to their political platforms, and are pursuing a dual-track policy of political engagement and armed resistance,” he said.

John Negroponte, the director for national intelligence, told the same Senate hearing that Iraq was making progress on the political and security fronts. But he acknowledged that a civil war would have dramatic ramifications for Iraq.

“The consequences for the people of Iraq would be catastrophic...It would seriously jeopardise