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| 5/23 |
| 2008/4/8-12 [Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Iraq] UID:49689 Activity:nil 52%like:49632 |
4/8 Yes, the Iraqi army kicked Al-Sadr's ass
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/04/a_look_at_operation_1.php
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0_feLSmJcspNYz9g3tqDkkwXD2QD8VSIPN00
\_ Nope. You have been lied to (again).
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080421/cockburn
\_ Sorry, can't read the article. And nothing in the intro
addresses it. I'm sorry reality doesn't agree with your desires.
\_ You may also want to read today's http://www.juancole.com
\_ Who do *you* think is more credible, the guys who told
us that Saddam Hussein was in league with Al Qaeda, had WMD
and was soon to have a nuke or the ones who tried to warn us
that the Iraq War would be a disaster?
\_ Only DK and DU speak The Truth. All others are evil and
must be eliminated. Your link is not to DK or DU, thus
you must be a corporate news whore. You must be eliminated
before your plague of unTruth spreads. Please report to
the food vats for extended happiness enforcement training
immediately.
\_ Yeah, I'd be bitter too, if I was you.
\_ Yeah, I'd be bitter too, if I were you.
http://www.pollingreport.com/right.htm
\_ Bitter? Au contraire, mon frere! I'm quite amused!
All the more so that you'd post some silly nonsense
like that as if it meant anything.
\_ You sure sound bitter. |
| 5/23 |
|
| www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/04/a_look_at_operation_1.php Printer-friendly version A look at Operation Knights' Assault By Bill RoggioApril 4, 2008 4:09 PM Eleven days after Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki launched Operation Knights' Assault in Basrah, the picture of the fighting in the city has become clearer. Maliki launched the operation after giving limited notice to Multinational Forces Iraq, and an inexperienced Iraqi Army brigade from the newly formed 14th Division cracked doing the opening days of the fighting. Basrah Operational Command rushed in forces into Basrah, including Army and elite police units, to stabilize the fighting, and six days after the operation began, Muqtada al Sadr ordered his Mahdi Army to stand down in Basrah, Baghdad, and the South. The New York Times reported on April 3 Maliki also failed to give proper advanced notice to the US military and almost no notice to the British forces in the south. This insured the Coalition forces were unable to properly back up the Iraqi Army with needed combat and logistical support from the start of the operation. The US military was given notice of the operation on March 21, just four days before the Iraqi security forces began the advance into Basrah, The Times reported. General David Petraeus reportedly tried to dissuade Maliki from conducting the offensive, but the Iraqi prime minister pushed forward. Additional Iraqi Army, police, and special forces units began arriving in Basrah on March 24, and Maliki started the operation the next day. The Basrah operation was initially planned to be executed in July 2008, when sufficient forces were available. deployed four brigades and an Iraqi Special Operations Forces battalion in Basrah province. The Iraqi National Police deployed two additional battalions to the province. A green unit falters, reinforcements arrive Malikis gambit to advance the Basrah clearing operation took a major setback once Iraqi security force met stiff resistance from the Mahdi Army. The decision to rush the operation forced a newly formed brigade into the fight just one month after the unit graduated from basic training. While the brigade has not been named, it was likely the 52nd Brigade from the 14th Iraqi Army Division, the most inexperienced units in the Iraqi Army. The formation of the 14th was rushed, as it was not due to be stood up until June 2008. The first brigade was transferred from Wasit province, the second brigade was created in May 2007, and its third brigade (the 52nd brigade) graduated the Besmaya Unit Set Fielding Program on Feb. The officers, noncommissioned officers, and soldiers have not had time to work together, nor have they been tested under fire. The 14th Division still does not have its fourth brigade, nor does it have the requisite logistical and support units. told Reuters an estimated 1,000 members of the security forces deserted. Some turned their weapons and vehicles over the Mahdi Army. A brigade commander and the executive officer of a police unit in Basrah also deserted their posts, the Times reported. Several dozen officers are believed to have failed to carry out their duties. Most of those who deserted were green troops from the newly formed brigade. From what we understand, the bulk of these were from fairly fresh troops who had only just gotten out of basic training and were probably pushed into the fight too soon, an unnamed US military officer told the Times. Overall, "1,000 to 1,500 Iraqi forces had deserted or underperformed, according to the Times, a number that represent a little over 4 percent of the total forces in Basrah. The Iraqi security forces in the Basrah region have long been suspected to be infiltrated with militias. The operation in Basrah has exposed the level of infiltration, which at first glance, to not appear to be as severe as thought. There are over 16,000 police and 14,000 soldiers deployed in Basrah. The Iraqi government has vowed to prosecute those who failed in their duty. Everyone who was not on the side of the security forces will go into the military courts, Maliki said. Joining the army or police is not a trip or a picnic, there is something that they have to pay back to commit to the interests of the state and not the party or the sect. The Iraqi Army reinforces Basrah As it became clear the operation in Basrah would be a tougher fight than expected, the Iraqi military and Multinational Forces Iraq began to augment its forces. At least one Iraqi Army brigade, the Iraqi National Police Emergency Response Unit, and the Hillah Special Weapons and Tactics unit were rushed to Basrah. An unconfirmed report received by The Long War Journal indicates the Iraqi Army brigade may have been the 14th Brigade from the 4th Iraqi Army Division, one of the Armys best units. The US military hastily cobbled together advisers for the Iraqi formations sent into Basrah. A company from the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division assigned to provide route security was rushed into Basrah to fill this role. Meanwhile, the nascent Iraqi Air Force conducted resupply missions in conjunction with the US Air Force. Equipment and soldiers were ferried into Basrah via air. US and British warplanes began to strike at Mahdi Army positions in Basrah, with the help of US forward air controllers embedded with Iraqi forces. The Iraqi security forces fared better in the greater South While the focus of the reporting centered on Basrah, the Iraqi security forces also combated the Mahdi Army in the Shia cities between Basrah and Baghdad. The Iraqi Army was able to secure Hillah, Kut, Karbala, Najaf, Diwaniyah, Nasiriyah, and Amarah in a matter of days after the fighting started. By March 29, the fighting in these cities largely stopped. The Iraqi security forces quickly silenced the Mahdi Army in Najaf, the scene of Sadrs uprisings in March and August 2004. Pro-government protests were staged in Diwaniyah, Karbala, and Hillah just days after the Basrah operation began. Security was deemed good enough in Hillah that the police SWAT team was deployed to Basrah. Scores of Mahdi Army fighters were killed and hundreds captured in the southern region between Baghdad and Basrah. Lynch estimated about 600 Shia terrorists were divided among 10 different cells in the provinces in Multinational Division Central's area of operations. Sadr orders cease-fire Just as the Iraqi security forces began to address the shortcoming in the operation and the situation in the center-south began to stabilize, Sadr decided to pull his fighters off the streets. Members of Malikis Dawa political party approached the leader of Iran's Qods Force asking him to get Sadr to stop the fighting. Shortly afterward, Sadr ordered his troops to withdraw from fighting and issued a nine-point statement of demands for the Iraqi government. By this time, the Mahdi Army took significant casualties in Basrah, Baghdad, and the greater South. said Major General Abdul Kareem Khalaf, the director of operations for the Ministry of the Interior. The Mahdi Army suffered 173 killed in Baghdad during the six days of fighting. Spokesmen from the Mahdi Army claimed the Maliki government agreed to Sadrs terms, which included ending operations against the Mahdi Army, but the Iraqi government denies this. Operations Continue The Iraqi military and police continue to carry out raids against Shia terror groups in Baghdad, Basrah and the South. Maliki has changed his rhetoric, however, and indicated that criminals are now the target of operations. He also stated that security operations would be undertaken in Shula and Sadr City in Baghdad, two strongholds of the Mahdi Army. Both US and Iraqi troops have conducted several raids against Shia terrorists in Baghdad and the South over the past several days. killed two Shia fighters after they fired on a patrol in Basrah on April 2 Iraqi police killed six members of the criminal gangs in Basrah and captured six that same day. called for a million-man demonstration in Najaf on April 9 to oppose the US presence in Iraq. The time has come to express your rejections and raise your voices loud against the unjust occupier and enemy of nations and humanity, and against the horrible massacres committe... |
| ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0_feLSmJcspNYz9g3tqDkkwXD2QD8VSIPN00 Go to Google News Iraq: Sadr Party Faces Rising Isolation By HAMZA HENDAWI and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA - 2 days ago BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's major Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties have closed ranks to force anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disband his Mahdi Army militia or leave politics, lawmakers and officials involved in the effort said Sunday. Such a bold move risks a violent backlash by al-Sadr's Shiite militia. But if it succeeds it could cause a major realignment of Iraq's political landscape. The first step will be adding language to a draft election bill banning parties that operate militias from fielding candidates in provincial balloting this fall, the officials and lawmakers said. The government intends to send the draft to parliament within days and hopes to win approval within weeks. "We, the Sadrists, are in a predicament," lawmaker Hassan al-Rubaie said Sunday. "Even the blocs that had in the past supported us are now against us and we cannot stop them from taking action against us in parliament." Al-Sadr controls 30 of the 275 parliament seats, a substantial figure but not enough to block legislation. Al-Rubaie said the threat was so serious that a delegation might have to discuss the issue with al-Sadr in person. The young cleric, who has disappeared from the public eye for nearly a year, is believed to be in the Iranian holy city of Qom. In a rare public signal of dissent in Sadrist ranks, al-Rubaie complained that "those close" to al-Sadr "are radicals and that poses problems," suggesting that some of the cleric's confidants may be urging him toward a showdown. "We must go and explain to him in person that there's a problem," he said. US officials have been pressing Iraq's government for years to disband the militias, including the Mahdi Army. All major political parties are believed to maintain links to armed groups, although none acknowledge it. Some groups, including militias of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party and al-Sadr's chief rival, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, have been integrated into the government security services. That put them nominally under the government's authority, although they are believed to maintain ties to the political parties and retain their command structures. Uprisings in 2004 by al-Sadr's militiamen ended through mediation by top Shiite clerics. Shiite leaders then attempted to bring the Sadrists into the political mainstream, offering them Cabinet posts and deferring to them on some major security issues. But attacks by Shiite extremists continued, allegedly carried out by pro-Iranian splinter groups. The militia issue took on new urgency after al-Maliki launched a major operation March 25 against Shiite extremists in Basra and fighting quickly spread from the southern port city to Baghdad and elsewhere. The Sadrists believed the Basra crackdown was aimed at weakening their movement before the fall elections. They insisted al-Maliki was encouraged to move against them by their chief Shiite rivals -- the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council. US and Iraqi officials insist the crackdown is directed at criminal gangs and splinter groups supported by Iran. Al-Sadr ordered his fighters off the streets March 30 under a deal brokered in Iran. But the truce left the militia intact and armed and did not address the long-term threat. Just freezing it is no longer acceptable," said Sadiq al-Rikabi, a senior adviser to al-Maliki. "The new election law will prevent any party that has weapons or runs a militia from contesting elections." Broad outlines of the strategy to combat the militias were made public late Saturday in a statement by the Political Council for National Security, a top leadership body including the national president, prime minister and leaders of major parties in parliament. The statement called on parties to disband their militias or face a political ban. Although the statement did not mention the Sadrists, the intent was clear. President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, said Sunday that the statement was adopted after "heated, cordial, frank and transparent discussion," Al-Rubaie and another Sadrist lawmaker who attended objected to the call for militias to disband, he said. Al-Rubaie confirmed Talabani's account and said "our political isolation was very clear and real during the meeting." Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman said the Sadrists must either disband the militia "or face the Americans." He was alluding to the possibility of full-scale US military involvement if al-Sadr refuses to disband his militia and the government decides to disarm it by force. Al-Sadr has called on supporters to stage a "million-strong" protest in Baghdad on Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the city's capture by US troops. "We will watch it carefully," said Reda Jawad Taqi, a senior member of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council. |
| www.thenation.com/doc/20080421/cockburn -> www.thenation.com/docprem.mhtml?i=20080421&s=cockburn April 21, 2008 issue > Shown Up by Sadr, Again comment | posted April 3, 2008 (April 21, 2008 issue) Shown Up by Sadr, Again Patrick Cockburn Rulers of Iraq usually overplay their hand. Saddam Hussein did so when he invaded Kuwait in 1990, and George W Bush did it when he announced he had won a complete military victory in 2003. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki made the same mistake by launching a direct assault on Basra on March 25. He swore he would crush the militiamen who ruled the city, force them to hand over their weapons within seventy-two hours and make each gunman pledge to forswear violence. His attack was not directed against all militias but against the Mahdi Army of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Given Maliki's sweeping war aims, all the Mahdi Army had to do for the prime minister to be weakened was to survive. The US Marines had failed to eliminate Sadr when they had him trapped in the Shiite holy city of Najaf in April, and again in August, 2004. So it was hardly probable that, four years on, some 15,000 Iraqi troops were going to be able to fight their way through the alleyways of the sprawling slums of Basra and Baghdad in the face of resistance from thousands of militiamen who welcome martyrdom. |
| www.juancole.com Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion Juan Cole is President of the Global Americana Institute Tuesday, April 08, 2008 4 US Troops Killed; Ayatollahs Decline to Ban Militia I am always astounded at the combination of unrealistic optimism and foolish gullibility that marks political discourse on the Right in Washington. We were being told by Rich Lowry at the National Review that Sadr was on the ropes and on the verge of disbanding the Mahdi Army because the other political factions had turned on him, and that the others had had their militias join the regular security forces. Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army fought off thousands of regular Iraqi army troops in Basra and Baghdad, and perhaps thousands of those troops deserted rather than fight. So the Mahdi Army won big and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki lost. Also the US military trainers of the Iraqi troops lost face. So the next thing we hear is that al-Maliki is talking big and demanding that the Mahdi Army be dissolved. Usually you get to talk big if you win the military battle, not if you lose. The Sadrists have no intention of dissolving the Mahdi Army, according to this Arabic source, quoting Sadrist spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi. They point out, pace that great Iraq expert Lowry, that there are 28 militias in Iraq. The Badr Corps of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) still exists as a stand alone organization. In fact it ran as a political party in the elections and holds both provincial and federal seats. It hasn't been complete merged into the state security forces as Lowry alleged. And anyway, painting a sign on a militia saying 'this one is legitimate because its party won the last election' is not going to convince any real Iraqis. As it happens, the parliamentary representatives of Mosul demanded Monday that the Kurdish Peshmerga be dissolved. Then the US press went wild for this supposed report that Muqtada al-Sadr said he would dissolve his militia if Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani ordered it. He says it because he knows it makes him look reasonable to the Shiite public. He says it because he knows that the grand ayatollahs are not going to touch the matter with a ten foot pole. They are not so foolish as to take responsibility for dissolving a militia that they had nothing to do with creating. And that is probably the real meaning of this CNN report that they 'refused' when asked. I doubt the grand ayatollahs in Najaf actively commanded Muqtada to keep his militia. So the idea that, having lost militarily, al-Maliki and his political allies (who are a minority in parliament now) could just a couple of days later jawbone Muqtada into giving up his paramilitary was always absurd. As for the the threat that the Sadrists would not be allowed to run in the provincial elections in the fall unless the Mahdi Army was dissolved, it is either empty or very dangerous. First of all, not only Sadrists but also other observers have pointed out that excluding parties from running in elections is not the prerogative of the prime minister. It is a matter that would have to be passed by parliament. And since the parliamentarians who would be voting to dissolve all militias ahead of elections are all in parties that maintain militias, it would be political suicide for them to vote that way. Of course, they could just play the hypocrite card and declare, as Lowry did, that their militias are not militias, whereas the Mahdi Army is a militia. But if the Sadrists are really excluded from civil politics, and they are the majority in the South, then you will have just pushed a majority of Iraqis out of the political process and potentially into civil violence. Robert Reid of AP reports that hundreds of Iraqis fled the Shiite districts of Baghdad that are under siege by American and Iraqi government forces. The US and its Iraqi allies engaged in firefights on several fronts in the Shiite neighborhoods. US helicopter gunships and fighter bombers also fired missiles into the civilian neighborhoods. The US military denies that its bombing of civilian neighborhoods kills innocent civilians. While I know they try hard to minimize collateral damage, the blanket form of the assertion is not plausible. The disposition of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk remains a ticking time bomb in Iraq's north. Most Turkmen and Arabs are violently opposed to this step, as is neighboring Turkey. The referendum scheduled for last December was postponed six months, but seems unlikely to take place in June, either. Some Iraqis, including some Kurds, are talking about a negotiated settlement of the question rather than a referendum (which the Kurds would win since they have flooded Kirkuk province with Kurds). Not every place in al-Anbar Province is yet "calm," the CSM points out. With regard to the kidnapping of 42 students from a bus near Mosul, who were later released, I received this from a US military observer in the area: 'Mr Cole, You should check your sources closer before you report on the "impunity" of the insugents to operate in the Mosul area. My unit was involved in the location of the college students mentioned in your blog. They were not released by the insurgents at their leisure. They were found by coalition forces, engaged to disable the dump truck that the students were being transported and then freed by combined coalition, Iraqi Army and police forces. The four individuals that were driving the dump truck were all detained by Iraqi Army and police units after firing at US helicopters and then hiding among women and children to avoid being fired upon. I know these items are facts as the operation occured a mere three hours after I completed my mission for the day and was briefed by the aircrews that were responsible for the capture. Please know that everyday we see dispicable acts that are perpetrated upon the Iraqi people in the name of the "insurgency". They dare not engage directly because they have learned of the swift and deadly consequences that will occur to them if they do. Also realize that I see the Iraqi security forces taking a larger role in every operation that we conduct here in Ninevah provence of which Mosul is a part. I know that the axiom "if it bleeds it leads" is more true now than ever, but yesterday was a win in the books for the Iraqis and the coalition. Yesterday yielded 42 students that are home with their families, 4 bad guys that are not on the streets, and not a single bystander hurt by coalition or Iraqi forces alike. That is a good news story, not a bullet to show how impotent we are to what is occurring on the ground. And it was certainly good news that the students were released. what I said was that if people can be kidnapped like that in broad daylight, security can't be very good. And while it is welcome that security was restored for these victims, it still seems like a high crime area. What I can't understand is why I don't get more letters like this one. I'm a classic political liberal and I think the maximization of information is intrinsically good for a republic. McClatchy reports political violence in Iraq on Monday: ' Baghdad - Around 8 am and 10 pm two roadside bombs targeted Iraqi police vehicles in Zayouna injuring 5 policemen and 5 civilians in both attacks. Minutes later the sources of fire were targeted in Al Ameen neighborhood east of Baghdad, killing 9 civilians and injuring 31, Iraqi police said. No military reepsonse was available by the time of publication of this report. Basra - Seven men were killed in Al Asdiqa neighborhood (5 miles north of Basra) as an explosion took place in their house. The US military attacked the Mahdi Army militia in Sadr City on Sunday, alongside Iraqi Army troops. It was not clear what the purpose of the attack was, since the US clearly cannot intensively occupy the labyrinthine Shiite slum and therefore cannot actually disarm the Mahdi Army. Were they attempting to impress on the Sadrists that rocket attacks on the Green Zone (see below) would bring retaliation? The Arab Times: ' US and Iraqi forces have imposed a blockade on vehicle traffic in and out of Sadr City for two weeks. Residents of the bes... |
| www.pollingreport.com/right.htm TIPP National Outlook Index Polls listed chronologically. Data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older. "I'd like you to compare the way things are going in the United States to the way they were going five years ago. Generally, would you say things are going better today, worse today, or about the same today as they were going five years ago?" Better Worse Same Unsure % % % % 3/28 - 4/2/08 4 78 17 1 9/15-19/06 18 60 19 3 . "And what is your best guess about the United States five years from now? Generally, if things go pretty much as you now expect, do you think things will be better, worse or about the same as they are today?" Better Worse Same Unsure % % % % 3/28 - 4/2/08 39 34 19 8 9/15-19/06 31 37 27 5 . "Do you feel things in this country are generally going in the right direction or do you feel things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track?" Right Direction Wrong Track Unsure % % % 3/28 - 4/2/08 14 81 5 1/9-12/08 19 75 6 12/5-9/07 21 71 8 9/4-8/07 24 71 4 7/9-17/07 22 72 6 6/26-28/07 19 75 6 5/18-23/07 24 72 4 3/7-11/07 25 69 6 2/23-27/07 23 68 9 2/8-11/07 26 68 6 1/18-21/07 26 69 5 1/1-3/07 27 68 5 12/8-10/06 24 70 6 10/27-31/06 29 64 7 8/17-21/06 29 67 4 7/21-25/06 28 66 6 6/10-11/06 27 69 4 4/28-30/06 24 71 5 3/9-12/06 28 66 6 1/20-25/06 32 61 7 Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. "All in all, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country today?" "All in all, do you think things in the nation are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel that things are off on the wrong track?" "In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?" "Generally speaking, would you say things in this country are heading in the right direction, or are they off on the wrong track?" "Do you think things in this country are generally going in the right direction or are they seriously off on the wrong track?" Right Direction Wrong Track Unsure % % % 2/21-25/08 26 63 11 10/19-22/07 RV 23 66 11 6/7-10/07 24 69 7 4/5-9/07 25 66 9 1/13-16/07 31 61 8 12/8-11/06 28 62 10 9/16-19/06 31 61 8 7/28 - 8/1/06 31 63 6 6/24-27/06 30 63 7 4/8-11/06 26 65 9 2/25 - 3/1/06 30 64 6 1/22-25/06 32 61 7 1/15-17/05 40 48 12 9/25-28/04 LV 42 53 5 8/21-24/04 RV 40 52 8 7/17-21/04 RV 39 54 7 6/5-8/04 RV 34 58 8 3/27-30/04 36 55 9 4/2-3/03 57 33 10 1/30 - 2/2/03 39 50 11 12/12-15/02 44 47 9 8/22-25/02 45 45 10 1/31 - 2/3/02 65 26 9 11/10-13/01 65 22 13 9/13-14/01 60 28 12 4/21-26/01 44 43 13 3/3-5/01 49 40 11 11/13-18/99 42 47 11 3/25/99 43 48 9 2/27-28/99 45 42 13 2/12/99 49 42 9 1/27-29/99 53 37 10 9/13/98 56 38 6 8/18-19/98 53 39 8 1/29-31/98 53 38 9 1/23-24/98 45 44 11 9/97 42 47 11 2/97 41 51 8 The Harris Poll. "Generally speaking, would you say things in the country are going in the right direction or have they pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track?" Right Direction Wrong Track % % 2/6-10/08 23 69 11/30 - 12/3/07 18 74 10/5-8/07 22 67 9/7-10/07 24 63 7/6-9/07 19 70 4/20-23/07 26 67 2/2-5/07 29 62 11/17-21/06 31 58 10/20-23/06 27 63 10/6-9/06 29 62 9/8-11/06 31 59 8/18-21/06 26 64 8/4-7/06 27 63 7/7-10/06 28 61 6/2-5/06 28 64 5/5-8/06 24 69 4/7-10/06 27 65 3/3-7/06 31 60 2/3-7/06 32 59 1/6-9/06 33 54 Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. "Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?" Satisfied Dissatisfied Unsure % % % 8/1-2/07 24 69 7 7/11-12/07 27 68 5 7/2-3/07 24 67 9 6/18-19/07 26 68 6 5/2-3/07 25 71 4 3/28-29/07 28 66 6 3/14-16/07 28 64 8 1/24-25/07 30 61 9 1/17-18/07 30 62 8 12/6-7/06 31 59 10 11/9-10/06 29 63 8 11/2-3/06 29 64 7 10/26-27/06 31 61 8 10/19-20/06 25 67 8 10/5-6/06 25 67 8 8/24-25/06 28 65 7 8/10-11/06 26 67 7 5/11-12/06 23 71 6 3/16-17/06 30 64 6 11/10-11/05 26 68 6 9/29-30/05 31 61 8 9/8-9/05 28 66 6 8/2-4/05 36 54 10 12/2-3/04 46 46 8 10/27-29/04 39 56 5 10/21-22/04 40 56 4 10/14-15/04 40 55 5 9/30 - 10/2/04 38 57 5 9/9-10/04 39 53 8 9/2-3/04 43 49 8 7/29-30/04 36 58 6 7/8-9/04 40 54 6 5/13-14/04 30 62 8 4/8-9/04 36 59 5 1/22-23/04 43 52 5 1/8-9/04 46 47 7 12/18-19/03 46 47 7 10/9-10/03 40 54 6 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. "How well are things going in the country today: very well, fairly well, pretty badly or very badly?" Very Well Fairly Well Pretty Badly Very Badly Unsure % % % % % 4/10-12/07 8 40 34 17 1 1/11/07 8 49 30 12 1 11/3-5/06 9 42 30 18 1 10/6-8/06 12 37 30 19 2 9/29 - 10/2/06 8 43 26 23 - 8/30 - 9/2/06 9 37 29 25 - 8/2-3/06 8 47 29 15 1 5/5-7/06 8 38 33 20 1 Time Poll conducted by Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs. "Generally speaking, would you say things in this country are heading in the right direction, or are they off on the wrong track?" Right Direction Wrong Track Unsure % % % 11/1-3/06 32 62 7 6/27-29/06 28 66 6 3/22-23/06 34 60 6 2/15-16/06 36 58 6 1/24-26/06 33 63 4 11/29 - 12/1/05 34 60 6 3/15-17/05 44 51 5 1/12-13/05 46 49 5 12/13-14/04 40 50 10 Among registered voters: 9/21-23/04 43 51 6 8/31 - 9/2/04 45 50 4 8/31 - 9/2/04 45 50 4 8/3-5/04 44 51 5 7/20-22/04 42 52 6 CNN Poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. "Would you say you are generally content with the way things are going in the country today, or is there something you would say you are angry about?" Content Angry Unsure % % % 8/30 - 9/2/06 21 76 3 Cook Political Report/RT Strategies Poll. "Generally speaking, would you say things in this country are heading in the right direction, or are they off on the wrong track?" If unsure: "Do you lean more toward right direction or wrong track?" Among ALL adults: 1/22-25/06 38 60 2 1 12/8-11/05 36 61 2 1 University of Pennsylvania National Annenberg Election Survey. MoE 3 Interviewing conducted by Schulman, Ronca, Bucuvalas, Inc. "Do you feel things in this country are generally going in the right direction, or do you think things are seriously off on the wrong track?" Right Direction Wrong Track Not Sure % % % 11/3-11/04 47 46 7 10/25-31/04 40 53 7 9/3-12/04 42 51 7 8/9-29/04 39 52 9 7/30 - 8/5/04 39 53 8 7/5-25/04 37 55 8 . |