Anne Gearan: Support for War in Afghanistan Falls to New Low!!

Only 27 percent of Americans are saying they back the effort, and about half of those who oppose the war are saying the continued presence of American troops in Afghanistan is doing more harm than good, according to an AP-GfK poll. In results released Wednesday, 66 percent opposed the war, with 40 percent saying they were "strongly" opposed. A year ago, 37 percent favored the war, and in the spring of 2010, support was 46 percent. Eight percent strongly supported the war in the new poll. The poll found that far fewer people than last year think the killing of Osama bin Laden by US troops increased the threat of terrorism against Americans. Overall, 27 percent say the al-Qaida leader's death resulted in an increased terror threat. 31 percent believe his death decreased the threat of terrorism and 38 percent say it has no effect. The poll was conducted before the revelation this week of a recent al-Qaida plot to blow up a US bound airliner with an underwear bomb. Chris Solomon, an independent from Fuquay-Varina, NC, is among the respondents who strongly oppose the war. He said the military mission has reached the limits of its ability to help Afghans or make Americans any safer, and he would close down the war immediately, if he could. While the rationale for the war is to fight al-Qaida, most of the day-to-day combat is against an entrenched Taliban insurgency that will outlast the foreign fighters, he said. "What are we really doing there? Whom are we helping?" he said in an interview. Yet nearly half, 48 percent, said the continued presence of US troops in Afghanistan is doing more to help Afghanistan become a stable democracy, while 36 percent said the opposite, and 14 percent said they didn't know. Among those opposed to the war, 49 percent say US troops are hurting more than helping.