Poll shows negative view of Iraq war at a new high

Americans now view the war in Iraq more negatively than at any time since the invasion more than four years ago, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Sixty-one percent of Americans say the United States should have stayed out of Iraq, and 76 percent say things are going badly there, including 47 percent who say things are going very badly, the poll found.

Still, the majority of Americans support continuing to finance the war as long as the Iraqi government meets specific goals.

President Bush's approval ratings remain near the lowest of his more than six years in office. Thirty percent approve of the job he is doing overall, while 63 percent disapprove.

More Americans — 72 percent — now say that "generally things in the country are seriously off on the wrong track" than at any other time since the Times/CBS News poll began asking the question in 1983. The number has slowly risen since January 2004. Then, 53 percent said the country was "seriously off on the wrong track," and by January of this year it was 68 percent.

Public support for the war has eroded. In January 2003, 64 percent of Americans said the United States did the right thing in taking military action in Iraq, and 28 percent said the United States should have stayed out. The current numbers are nearly reversed, with 35 percent saying the United States did the right thing and 61 percent saying the country should have stayed out. In January of this year, 58 percent said the United States should have stayed out of Iraq, and 38 percent said going in was the right thing.

The nationwide telephone poll was conducted Friday through Wednesday with 1,125 adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

A majority, 76 percent (including 51 percent of Republicans), say additional troops sent to Iraq this year by Bush either have had no impact or are making things worse. Twenty percent of all respondents say the increase is improving the situation.

Most Americans support a timetable for withdrawal. Sixty-three percent say the United States should set a date for withdrawing troops from Iraq sometime in 2008.

While troops are still in Iraq, Americans overwhelmingly support continuing to finance the war, though most want to do so with conditions. Thirteen percent want Congress to block all money for the war.