A majority of Americans back a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and do not believe keeping forces in the country will prevent future terrorist attacks, a new poll showed Wednesday.
According to the USA Today/Gallup poll, 59 percent support setting a deadline for removing US troops from Iraq and only 22 percent accept President George W. Bush's argument that a continued military presence prevents new terrorist attacks on the United States.
The results indicate American voters remain skeptical of Bush's policy on Iraq, despite warnings from the White House a US pullout would trigger greater bloodshed in Iraq and make the United States more vulnerable to terrorism.
About half -- 47 percent -- said they expected a full-scale civil war in Iraq whether or not US troops stay, and 47 percent said Al-Qaeda would use Iraq as a base for operations with or without the US deployment.
The poll comes amid difficult negotiations between the Democratic majority in Congress and the Bush administration over a bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Democrats have sought to tie continued funding to proof of progress in Iraq, threatening to cut off funding later this year if the situation shows no sign of improvement.
Last week, Bush vetoed a bill that linked funding the war to a withdrawal of US troops starting in October.
In the poll, three in four said they support benchmarks that Iraq would have to fulfill to continue to qualify for economic and military assistance.
Most Americans, 58 percent, also said sending troops to Iraq was a mistake.
Some 146,000 US troops are deployed in Iraq after Bush sent additional combat troops in a bid to quell violence in the capital Baghdad and elsewhere.
