Most Americans feel Bush has no clear plan for Iraq

According to news surveys, most of the Americans believe neither Bush nor the Democrats have a clear plan for handling Iraq.

Most of the Americans believe that President George W Bush has no clear plan for handling Iraq, while they are divided over whether a deadline should be set for US forces to withdraw from the country, according to two opinion polls published on Tuesday.

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USA Today/Gallup Poll and The Washington Post/ABC News surveys showed that most Americans believe neither Bush nor the Democrats have a clear plan for handling Iraq.

On setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, Today/Gallup found 50 per cent Americans supported withdrawal and 49 per cent were against. The Post/ABC poll found 51 per cent in favour and 47 against.

Among those in favour of setting a withdrawal deadline, 33 per cent in the Today/Gallup poll said it should be within 12 months, while 46 per cent in the Post/ABC favoured six months.

Asked if Bush and his government had a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq, more respondents said no than yes: 67-31 per cent respectively in the Today/Gallup poll, 64-35 per cent in the Post/ABC survey.

Democrats, however, fared just as poorly. Sixty-eight per cent said the Democrats had no clear plan for handling Iraq, while 25 per cent believe they do. The Post/ABC survey put it at 71 to 24 per cent.

Bush's approval rating stood at 38 per cent in the Post/ABC poll, while Today/Gallup put his approval rating at 37 per cent.