Poll: Americans Optimistic on Surge

(CBS) According to a new CBS News poll, Americans have become somewhat more optimistic about the impact of the troop surge in Iraq. The poll, released Monday, shows that 29 percent of respondents now believe that the surge is having a positive impact, an increase of 10 percentage points from last month. Fifteen percent of Americans say the surge is making the situation worse, and 46 percent say it is having no impact either way, according to the poll. A majority of Americans remain pessimistic about the direction of the war in general. Just 29 percent say the U.S. efforts to bring stability and order to Iraq are going well, while more than two-thirds say those efforts are going badly. About one-third of Americans say that the U.S. should reduce troop levels in Iraq, and another 30 percent say the U.S. should remove all troops from the country. Just under one-third say America should increase troop levels or keep them at the same level they are today. Nearly half the public, 46 percent, says the U.S. presence in Iraq is creating terrorists who want to attack America. Just 26 percent of Americans say they approve of how President George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, a figure nearly unchanged since last month.

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