An analysis in March 2007 showed significant erosion in public opinion over President George W. Bush's decision for regime change in Iraq.
A report by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press concluded: "Four years after the launch of the U.S. led invasion on March 19, 2003, public opinion about the war in Iraq has turned decidedly negative. Most Americans regret the decision to use military force. Majorities believe the war is not going well, and most say that the United States should bring its troops home as soon as possible."
Most of the growing mistrust and disillusion was aimed at the President and the Congress, and at year's end U.S. public opinion about both hovered at historic lows. "At the same time," the Pew researchers noted, "positive attitudes toward the military, at least as a whole, have scarcely diminished." In January 2007, 84 percent of Americans expressed a favorable view of the military, with 47 percent having a very favorable view. And almost half had positive views of U.S. military leaders. Those rankings held strong throughout the year, especially as the surge in troop levels seemed to be working.
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