Iraqis Apparently Not So Keen on Invaders

Robot Wisdom points to two polls that indicate that your average Iraqi wants US forces out of their country:

The Washington Post reports today on two more surveys of Iraqi opinion.  First, State Department polling found that “In Baghdad… nearly three-quarters of residents polled said they would feel safer if U.S. and other foreign forces left Iraq, with 65 percent of those asked favoring an immediate pullout.” Second, PIPA has released the results of its latest round of polling today, which will show that “71 percent of Iraqis questioned want the Iraqi government to ask foreign forces to depart within a year. By large margins, though, Iraqis believed that the U.S. government would refuse the request, with 77 percent of those polled saying the United States intends keep permanent military bases in the country.” Third, the Post mentions that “The director of another Iraqi polling firm, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared being killed, said public opinion surveys he conducted last month showed that 80 percent of Iraqis who were questioned favored an immediate withdrawal.”

I don’t want to sound like some kind of smug pacificist, but this is encouraging data. I haven’t seen much meaningful polling of the Iraqi people.

Mind you, we should always keep in mind that most polls are bollocks.