It has been a good few weeks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the arrests of major Taliban figures and the start of the Obama administration's troop surge. Angus Reid finds more Americans are optimistic about the mission:
'More adults in the United States are now in favour of the ongoing military operation in Afghanistan, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 54 per cent of respondents support the mission involving American soldiers, up five points since December.In addition, 52 per cent of respondents think the federal government has provided too little information about the war in Afghanistan.
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Rassmussen has picked up a different vibe:
'A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 47% of voters now believe it is possible for the United States to win the war in Afghanistan. Thatâ??s down from a high of 51% in early December following President Obamaâ??s announcement of his new strategy for the war. Just prior to that speech, however, only 39% thought a U.S. victory was possible.
Thirty percent (30%) now say a victory is not possible and 23% are not sure.
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Personally, I'm in the slightly more optimistic camp now that it appears that Pakistan is finally taking the fight to the Afghan Taliban. If Pakistan is genuinely cooperating in squelching the Afghan Taliban threat (instead of nurturing it), it means the U.S. could actually leave Afghanistan sooner rather than later.
(AP Photo)