White House's Interpretation of the New Poll

Here is the White House's interpretation of the data in today's Washington Post/ABC News poll. It's the text of a White House release called By the Numbers:

Iraq Update: Americans support the President and see progress towards a safer world.

* The vast majority of Americans believe our troops should stay in Iraq. 58% say we should keep our forces in Iraq until civil order is restored – anything less is not accomplishing our mission. 60% say we
should keep the same number or increase the number of troops in Iraq – a 9-point increase in those who believe we should maintain or increase our presence there since March.

* Americans see progress toward our goals. 61% say elections in January brought us closer to bringing our troops home. They are positive about the future there: 53% feel optimistic about the upcoming year in Iraq – an increase from 46% who felt optimistic about the upcoming year in December.

* Americans believe security in the Mid-East - especially in Iraq - is essential to security in the United States. 56% say the war in Iraq is a part of the War on Terror and success there is essential to security in the United States.

* They believe we have made progress towards stability and security. 51% say the war in Iraq has helped long term peace and stability in the Mid-East – a 9-point improvement over the last year. 52% say the war has contributed to the long term security of the United States – an 11-point improvement in the last month.

* Americans see the positive impact our efforts have had on the entire region. 49% say the war in Iraq has encouraged democracy in other Arab nations. Americans support keeping troops in Iraq. Americans know we have made progress towards security – both in the Mid-East and the United States.

Sources include: Washington Post/ABC, June 23-26, 2005, Adults; Washington Post/ABC, June 2-5, 2005, Adults