Poll: Most doubt Dems have plan for Iraq

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - Amid new talk of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill and at the White House, Americans are divided on whether the new Democratic-controlled Congress and President Bush can work together on their top priorities.

The latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll shows Americans in the aftermath of last week's power-shifting election remain divided over the country's direction and on their hopes for bipartisan cooperation.

Still, the poll indicates that after a year of dismal public approval ratings, Americans have higher expectations for Congress and that many are upbeat about Democrats holding the reins of power in the House and the Senate.

Of those surveyed, 47 percent said they were confident the president and congressional Democrats could work together to address national problems; 51 percent said they were not confident. For every 10 adults polled, four said the country will be better off, three said it would not make much difference and two said the country will be worse off. Most Democrats shared that optimism. Republicans tended to be pessimistic or anticipated no discernible change.

The poll of 1,002 adults was conducted Nov. 10-12 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

In the wake of the election, Democrats as well as the president and his Republican allies have emphasized the need for bipartisanship on the war in Iraq and on a number of other legislative fronts.

But both sides also have made it clear that there will be limits to cooperation. On Tuesday, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada placed the burden on Bush.

"I've met with the president. He said he wanted to work with us," Reid said. "He said that two years ago and it didn't work. I told him that. I want to work with the president of the United States. I want to work with the Republican leader of the Senate, Republican leader of the House."

In the poll, more Americans ranked Iraq as the top priority of the new Democratic-controlled Congress, but nearly three out of five say the party has no plan to deal with the war.

While voters in Election Day surveys said corruption and scandal in Congress were among the most important factors in their vote, the postelection poll indicated 37 percent of all adults said the war in Iraq should be at the top of the congressional agenda during the next two years. Nevertheless, 57 percent of all adults in the AP-Ipsos poll said Democrats do not have a plan for Iraq; 29 percent said they do.

That finding strikes at the heart of a Democratic dilemma. The party has been of one voice in criticizing President Bush's strategy for the war but has been more equivocal on how to move in a different direction.

Democrats such as Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania want a fixed deadline to pull all troops out of the country. Other Democrats, including some party leaders, have voiced support for a staggered withdrawal that demands greater responsibility from the Iraqis.

The public's perception was reinforced during the campaign, when President Bush repeatedly told voters that the Democrats had little to offer on the war.

"Everyone agrees that we're going to have to begin redeployment," Rep. Ike Skelton (news, bio, voting record), D-Mo., said of the Democratic position. Skelton, in line to become chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has proposed withdrawing a U.S. brigade for every three Iraqi combat brigades rated fully capable. Skelton opposes setting a timetable for withdrawal but said at least one U.S. battalion or brigade should pull out promptly.

"It should send a clear message to the Iraqi government, the Iraqi people and the American people that we're not there to stay," he said.

No doubt the election results have put Democrats in something of a box, said Stephen Biddle, a defense policy expert at the Council of Foreign Relations.

"It's a very, very awkward thing to run a war from the Congress," he said. "The public wants them to do something. And they don't want to go into 2008 and be accused of being the do-nothing 110th Congress."

In separate interviews, some voters appeared sympathetic.

John Rodon, a retiree from Green Bay, Wis., said the situation in Iraq is "a big mistake" and voted for a Democrat for Congress. He doubted, however, that the Democrats would solve the war.

"I don't think anybody has an answer for this," he said.

Francis Curran, a 43-year-old carpenter from Jupiter, Fla., said he thinks Democrats would approach Iraq with a better lens.

"You can't solve that problem without involving the other players in the region. I think Democrats might be more willing to at least not call (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) the Axis of Evil," Curran said. "I don't know if the president would go with this, but this administration has to involve other nations in that region."

For now, Democrats appear willing to wait for the recommendations of a bipartisan Iraq study group led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton. The group's findings are expected within the next few weeks.

Reid also wants a bipartisan congressional summit to debate Iraq.

"Iraq has to be done on a bipartisan basis," he said. "This is not a time for threatening the president with anything. We're going to see how we can work with him to change course in Iraq."

___

AP Manager of News Surveys Trevor Tompson, AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius and Associated Press Writers Philip Elliott and Will Lester contributed to this report.

On the Net:

AP-Ipsos poll results: AP-IpsosResults.com