35 percent of Americans want them out by the end of the year

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0406iraq-politics0406.html

Kerry urges withdrawal from Iraq by end of year

Knight Ridder Newspapers Apr. 6, 2006 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - If Congress ever turns against the war in Iraq, analysts may look back at this week as a turning point.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on Wednesday urged setting a May 15 deadline to withdraw U.S. troops unless Iraq forms a unity government, and even if Iraq does form a government, Kerry urged complete American withdrawal by year's end. His twin-deadline proposal makes the 2004 presidential nominee the most prominent Democrat pushing for early full withdrawal.

At the same time, three Republicans in the House of Representatives endorsed a resolution calling for a robust and lengthy congressional debate on Iraq. While they're far short of the votes needed to force such a debate, a coalition of 40 anti-war activist groups is mounting a national campaign to drum up public pressure behind the resolution. That campaign targets lawmakers as they head home for a two-week Easter recess to listen to constituents in this election year, when Republicans are already anxious that they might lose control of Congress in November.

The majority of Americans turned against the war months ago. A recent Gallup poll for CNN and USA Today shows that 19 percent want troops out immediately and 35 percent want them out by the end of the year.

"It's making Republicans in Congress more antsy," Republican strategist Frank Luntz said, "and making Democrats bolder and more aggressive."

Slightly more than half of them, 51 percent, think the United States is losing ground in its effort to defeat insurgents in Iraq, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. That's up from 38 percent in January. And 70 percent think President Bush lacks a clear plan for victory. The margins of error in the Pew surveys were plus or minus 3 or 4 percentage points.

Most leading Democrats have long worried that taking a stand against the war or calling for early withdrawal would label them weak on national security. But Kerry disdained such reservations when discussing his plan. He first disclosed his proposal Wednesday in an opinion piece he wrote for the New York Times.