The president’s hump year

The sixth year of a two-term presidency is rarely kind. The public’s initial romance with the president has faded. The brief momentum he thought he earned by winning reelection has faded too. The White House doesn’t set the agenda any more; events are in charge now. … And if the past […] Read more »

CNN Poll: Afghanistan war arguably most unpopular in U.S. history

Support for the war in Afghanistan has dipped below 20%, according to a new national poll, making the country’s longest military conflict arguably its most unpopular one as well. The CNN/ORC International survey released Monday also indicates that a majority of Americans would like to see U.S. troops pull out […] Read more »

Polling Comes to Afghanistan, Suggesting Limit to Sway of President Karzai

In the 12 years since the United States helped oust the Taliban, Afghanistan has held four national elections. But Afghans are only now experiencing a phenomenon that has been upending conventional wisdom in more established democracies for decades: polling. Three recent polls are giving Afghans a crash course in front-runners, […] Read more »

Most Want Some Troops in Afghanistan Despite Strong Criticism of the War

Two-thirds of Americans say the war in Afghanistan hasn’t been worth fighting, but 55 percent nonetheless favor keeping some U.S. forces there for training and counterinsurgency purposes, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll has found. Public support for a smaller but continued U.S. military presence is steady despite the current […] Read more »