Afghanistan Poll: Majority Of Republicans No Longer Support War

The majority of Republicans now think the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted last week.

For the first time, more Republicans and Republican-leaning independents opposed the war than supported it, with 55 percent saying they considered the costs of the war greater than its benefits. Sixty-six percent of all respondents said the war was not worth fighting.

The war could become an issue in the general election. GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, unlike most of his primary rivals, has not questioned the nation's commitment to Afghanistan, and he has criticized President Obama for his timeline to give Afghans security responsibility by 2014.

"I think it is plain to see conditions are not going very well," Romney told Fox News. "And I lay part of the blame on that on the lack of leadership on our president."

The poll showed mixed support for Obama's handling of the war, with 48 percent approving of his actions and 43 percent disapproving. Respondents were split as to whether Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bale's killing of 17 Afghan civilians indicated broader problems or was an isolated incident. But they showed concern for the toll warfare can have on service members, with 80 percent saying the military should put time limits on deployments to combat areas.

Comments

[raygunsminion]

06:21 PM on 05/11/2012

but do they think its not worth fighting enough to pull the troops out

[RayGunsMess]

05:49 PM on 05/11/2012

Does this mean Romney will have to change is stance on the war in Afghanistan? Now why would he do that?....

[raygunsminion]

06:19 PM on 05/11/2012

i feel a flip flop coming on

[leftcoastjoe]

05:37 PM on 04/16/2012

Love how Republicans turn all anti-war when a Democrat is in the White House! I wonder if they would have felt this way if McCain had won.

[PV2Wagner]

09:43 PM on 04/16/2012

I agree the Republicans had a terrible choice for a preisdent. McCain could be a good military leader, but not a good president. I do believe Obama is doing a decent job with his troop withdrawal, even though I believe completely leaving Iraq was a mistake.

[GOP Lie Detector]

08:21 AM on 04/14/2012

So now republicans don't support the troops? Too bad. I thought they always support our troops but spending on troops instead of tax cuts for the idle rich must upset them. REMEMBER when Republicans said you can't support the troops, and be against the war at the same time? I remember.

[PV2Wagner]

09:44 PM on 04/16/2012

Well I know Obama sure as hell doesn't support the troops. I have seen welfare recipients earn more money that low-rank soldiers because of Obama's military cuts and increase in welfare.

[RayGunsMess]

05:52 PM on 05/11/2012

Eye balls are a rolling....did you make that up or did the boys down at the bar tell you that....

[raygunsminion]

06:26 PM on 05/11/2012

i hauled for the department of defence for 20 years, people in the military have been on food stamps since bush was presiedent and i got a piece of news for you, bush didnt give a damn about them either

[Malik Achakzai]

05:20 AM on 04/14/2012

War and opposition it faces from Republican, really strange. Don't we know that 9/11 occurred due to the terrorist factors calmly living in Afghanistan, can't we say that they would have engulf the peace of the World unless they were crashed? If it is an idea for vote bank, I think that is based on week para meters

[namvet527]

12:50 AM on 04/14/2012

LIAR!

[RayGunsMess]

06:42 PM on 05/11/2012

prove it...

[spyker1]

11:51 PM on 04/13/2012

End the Fed vote for Ron Paul in 2012

[RayGunsMess]

05:54 PM on 05/11/2012

Yeah, maybe you and his 10,000 supporters can send Washington a message...

[fuzzychickens]

01:43 PM on 04/13/2012

Chances of Romney doing something about this fact if elected?

Zero.

For the same reason Obama hasn't ended a war yet.

Or closed Guantanamo and the indefinite detention it represents - instead he signs a law allowing for AMERICAN CITIZENS to be placed in indefinite detention.

The MIC and establishment make these decisions.

Few if any politicians have the guts to go against their wishes.

[P Ross]

05:59 PM on 04/13/2012

fuzzy, can't let this pass. President Obama could have (maybe should have) ended the war with Osama Bin Ladens death, my opinion. A majority of Republicans and Democrats stopped the Presidential order to close Gitmo, probably because trials in the US would have exposed us to ridicule from the world (read waterboarding). The NDAA law was written by Republicans and inserted into the National Defense Budget. To not sign this means the defense budget would not have been funded. Write your representatives and try to get them to close GITMO and repeal NDAA.

[fuzzychickens]

11:14 PM on 04/13/2012

Sorry, can't let this pass.

If you think the defense budget is more important than your right to due process, then your priorities are messed up. He shouldn't have signed the damn thing.

Also, you mention obstructionism is closing down Guantanamo which was a sort of indefinite detention for terrorists. NDAA is indefinite detention for American Citizens and no republican forced him to sign that.

The best he could do was a waiver that any future president can ignore.

How many times has he resigned the patriot act?

What about HR 347 - why the need to modify the original law so that you can now be arrested for protesting even if you weren't aware of secret service presence?

Obama has as much regard for the constitution as Bush did.

[RayGunsMess]

05:57 PM on 05/11/2012

The government has had the ability to put Americans in indefinite detention since the constitution was written. Read the sections about treason and learn something...

[raygunsminion]

06:32 PM on 05/11/2012

they still havent got a clue

[Louise Williams]

12:50 PM on 04/13/2012

Lets talk more about Ron Paul .
He has been correct in all his answers,he does not beat around the bush,no one has been able to trip him up and make him look foolish,he knows what is happening in the Goverment! and it might not be what we what we want, but if we dont change what has not worked in our economy
we are not going to be the strong country we once was VOTE VOTE VOTE RON PAUL HE IS THE ONE (PEOPLE WAKE UP) WE ARE IN A ILLUSION (WE ARE BANKRUPT) WE NEED CHANGE

[PV2Wagner]

09:46 PM on 04/16/2012

Ron Paul sheep need to give it up he isn't ever getting elected until he tightens up the loose screws in his head

[hertamania]

12:18 PM on 04/13/2012

There was a good reason for going and now there are good reasons for leaving. We are done, there is nothing more to do. Bring our ladies and genelmen home. The hard part will be finding them jobs.

[RayGunsMess]

06:02 PM on 05/11/2012

Nothing more to do but build the entire country a system of highways, water and sewer. electrical grids and, hey wait
a minute, we need that done here...

[handymanrcs]

12:11 PM on 04/13/2012

Although I agree we need to get out, Obama wasn't as strong as Bush was. I do support Obama as for as the drones. He got rid of alot of terrorist. The pres should never have given a time frame. To me that is stupid. That's like saying" hey enemies we will be there on a certain date to get you, be on the lookout." " You will know us by the target on our backs" Because of the time frame we do need to get out before that date.

[RayGunsMess]

06:04 PM on 05/11/2012

It was Bush that signed the Executive order removing troops from Iraq this last Dec...guess you watch the wrong News channel...He signed it 5 years ago...Isn't that the same thing Obama is doing....hmmmmmm?

[raygunsminion]

06:35 PM on 05/11/2012

lol bush was strong.....enlighten me

[handymanrcs]

11:12 PM on 05/11/2012

lol Obama is strong.........enlighten me. The hard left makes him look like a puppet.

[goldymg10]

11:34 AM on 04/13/2012

I did not see the poll on how many Democrats oppose the war.. My guess is it is around 80%..how come they have not been jumping up and down for the past 3/12 years yelling at Pres. Obama for not getting us out sooner?

[handymanrcs]

12:13 PM on 04/13/2012

that only happens when there's a Rep. in there : )

[RayGunsMess]

06:07 PM on 05/11/2012

Wrong Einstein, I had issues with his staying in Afghanistan before he was elected and have said we need to get out several times a month...But I still voted for Obama as McCains VP pick was the worse choice in Republican history...

[raygunsminion]

06:39 PM on 05/11/2012

it was a republican that got us in there, and for absolutly no good reason

[kernalsan]

12:22 PM on 04/13/2012

Maybe there is another story somewhere about that topic. This story is not that story. This story highlights how flexible GOP dogma can become when faced with the failure or their initial premises. Yes, it turned out that the knee jerk military option did not make us safer. Iraq has a constitution which requires that the work product of their congress comply with Islamic principles. There is no debate about church/state seperation. Many of god's chosen people in America can only look on with envy. Thanks GW.

Although "jumping up and down for the past 3 &1/2 years yelling..." is standard Tea bagger behavior many, more mature, people try to avoid temper tantrums. People who actually opposed the Bush/Cheney militarism before it started usually also value more reasonable forms of self expression.

Enjoy your afterlife.

[goldymg10]

12:36 PM on 04/13/2012

Thanks for your reply...How do you know that we have not been made safer? It would seem to me that you are wrong..History has proven we have not been hit again like 911. Stop with the Bsh/cheney militarism all ready..About 98% of congress went along with it.

[PV2Wagner]

09:48 PM on 04/16/2012

I can't recall a Taliban or Al Qaeda attack on US soil since 9/11, just saying

[Frog in a pot]

11:23 AM on 04/13/2012

Republicans wanted Mccain who would have doubled down on the wars.
And they want candidates who want to start new wars with Iran.

Noone will ever accuse a republican of being troubled by logic.

[hertamania]

12:19 PM on 04/13/2012

As a Rep. and fiscal conservative, I want out. Enough logic for you.

[Frog in a pot]

08:24 PM on 04/13/2012

Thats called an oxymoron.

[Thomas VonBerge]

08:36 PM on 04/14/2012

And democrats want a single candidate who wants to start a new war with Iran.

[RayGunsMess]

06:14 PM on 05/11/2012

We do? ahh sarcasm... had me going there for a min...curious, did I sleep through the old war with Iran?...

[Frog in a pot]

11:22 AM on 04/13/2012

Republicans still dont care we were lied into Iraq and bush started 2 wars without enough troops.
And fired the generals who warned him and asked for more support.

[RayGunsMess]

06:16 PM on 05/11/2012

Bush wasn't running the wars, Chenney and Rumney Dumbny were. Bush was cuttin' fire wood back at the Reagan Ranch....

[Frog in a pot]

11:07 AM on 04/13/2012

Republicans are bored with their old wars and want a shiney new one with Iran.

[princeperry]

11:31 AM on 04/13/2012

I think they better take their vitamins before they attack this one. It's not one of those wars, where you go over beat'em and come right back.

[PV2Wagner]

09:50 PM on 04/16/2012

Yeah, the media and politicians haven't let us "go over beat'em and come back" since the Korean War