The number of Americans who want our troops to return from Afghanistan has reached a record high of 56 percent, according to a new poll by the
Pew Research Center. That’s the first time the survey has shown a majority of Americans favoring withdrawal.
A total of 39 percent support leaving our troops in Afghanistan until conditions have stabilized. The amount hoping for a quick withdrawal of U.S. forces has jumped by 8 percentage points from May’s 48 percent total. The May figure was tallied just after the killing of Osama bin Laden.
A year ago, just 40 percent of Americans favored removing the troops as soon as possible, while 53 percent wanted to keep them in Afghanistan until the situation stabilized.
The 56 percent of our citizens who want the troops out quickly will likely be disappointed to learn that no matter how many troops President Barack Obama decides to pull from Afghanistan, the war won’t be over by Election Day, as The Hill reports. Obama is scheduled to announce his decision in a speech to the nation Wednesday night.
Up to 70,000 U.S. troops will stay in Afghanistan, forcing Obama, who stressed the importance of our mission in Afghanistan during the 2008 campaign, to explain why we’re still there 11 years after the war began and one year after the killing of Osama bin Laden.
That my hurt the president’s re-election chances given the need for him to attract votes from both liberals and independents.
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