More evidence: Iraq is the key

The New York Times ads to the evidence that Iraq will define the 2006 mid-term elections, a frame that benefits Democrats:

A substantial majority of Americans expect Democrats to reduce or end American military involvement in Iraq if they win control of Congress next Tuesday and say Republicans will maintain or increase troop levels to try to win the war if they hold on to power on Capitol Hill, according to the final New York Times/CBS News poll before the midterm election.

The poll showed that 29 percent of Americans approve of the way President Bush is managing the war, matching the lowest mark of his presidency. Nearly 70 percent said Mr. Bush did not have a plan to end the war, and 80 percent said Mr. Bush’s latest effort to rally public support for the conflict amounted to a change in language but not policy.

The poll underlined the extent to which the war has framed the midterm elections. Americans cited Iraq as the most important issue affecting their vote, and majorities of Republicans and Democrats said they wanted a change in approach. Twenty percent said they thought the United States was winning in Iraq, down from a high this year of 36 percent in January.

Both parties seem to have misjudged where public sentiment is at with Iraq. Republican leaders call decreased troop commitments "cutting and running," and Democrats articulate no alternatives.

Yet large majorities of the public are saying they want decreased troop levels or withdrawal from Iraq, and that they won't tolerate any further war costs, in lives or money.

The Times finds someone who captures the sentiment:

Pat Atley, 73, a Republican from Florida, said she expected Republicans to press for more troops in Iraq if they stayed in power, although she said she hoped they would not.

“I’ve always felt we were never going to do any good over there,” Ms. Atley said, adding, “I don’t think we should increase our troops because increased troops aren’t going to do anything except put more of our men and women in jeopardy.”