An overwhelming majority–59 percent–of the American people think

I’d say that’s being charitable.

Spot on here.

I thought America was told that America was fighting the “War on Terror” in Iraq and Afganistan. Is the War on Terror in Afganistan now over because bin Laden is dead?

Meanwhile, TPM is sounding the alarm that the new Defense Authorization bill gives new powers to the Executive in order to combat terror in the new shifting landscape…

obama and congress have their own “reality” and the citizens of this country are not included. Unless huge, and I mean huge, anti-war protests start the wars will continue. I’m up for it.

Really if John McCain had won in 2008 with 59% of the popular vote compared to Obama at 36% I would be more than willing to say he won with an “overwhelming majority”

what is your cut off 60%, 63%, 65% before something is overwhelming.

AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen Jim White:

I been thinkin for some time that ObamaRahma would be able to finnesse the issues of the economy and jobs against the lunatic fascist fringe only if he ends both wars. And in order to win with the issues of jobs and the economy he’s gunna need to mobilize the base of his coalition of which Latinos, the young and “progressives” are 3 of the largest and most important elements. If Obama plays Kabuki with withdrawal and his commitment to end both occupations, he will immediately mobilize an insurgency inside his own party that will make Charlotte in 2012 look like Chicago in 1968.

Obama is poised right now to win 2012 in a landslide if he gets outta the wars and if he doesn’t he will beat out Richard Nixon as the champion of snatchin’ defeat from the jaws of victory. I really don’t think Obama is dumb enough to triangulate himself out of office but what the hell I was wrong once last year.

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, THE WARS ARE NOW SHOWIN UP ON YOUR FRONT LAWN!!

I see 36% support continued involvement. That’s the same 36% that voted for Bush solely because he reads the Bible.

But it is the jobs!!!

If we leave Afghanistan those young folks now in the military will not be able to find work. It is the same reason we build planes we do not need – It’s the jobs!

No, it’s over because Obama defined the mission as capturing or killing Osama bin Laden and defeating al Qaeda. Osama bin Laden was murdered pursuant to Obama’s orders and, according to Richard Holbrooke and confirmed by others, there are less than 100 members of al Qaeda left in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

End of story.

I’ll be 64 in a few days and recall the difficulty the pols had in getting out of Vietnam. Too many of them wanted the cake and to eat it as well. It’s not so different now in some general terms, and inappropriate career calculations are in the mix.

I think Obama could benefit from some 1970′s advice by Sen George Aiken (VT) in that we should declare victory and leave Vietnam. It was clever, and Aiken was correct back then.

This time Obama has more fodder to move forward that way, having bagged the unfriendliest chieftain. Neither Johnson nor Nixon could have gotten their hands on a Ho Chi Minh or even any of his minions.

Obama should take advantage of his position, and phase out of Afghanistan soon before the magic wears off..

If need be, we can hire them to safeguard their parents basements till we sort out the economy. That’d be far more productive than safeguarding rubble in Afghanistan.

I didn’t realize Obama and 1/3 of Democrats were Bush voters.

Absolutely silly poll, stunningly and clumsily biased. Are Americans so devolved we can’t see this was biased to maximize occupation approval (but still to some extent failed)? Obviously the editorial comments at the beginning of each question — “The U.S. has accomplished its mission” and “The U.S still has important work to do in Afghanistan” — should both be removed. An unbiased poll would look like this:

Q1: The U.S. should bring its troops home from Afghanistan.
Q2: The U.S should maintain its troops in Afghanistan.

If no changes are made then, facetiously, a third option should be allowed to the two already there:

“The U.S. may or may not have accomplished its mission in Afghanistan but I disapprove of what I can make out of that and/or I don’t think that the mission is/was worth it and want the troops home.”

The debate in Washington is, however, exactly the debate their paymasters want our politicians to have. It’s Pete Peterson’s world, and Alan Simpson’s — we just live in it.

Nothing against the memory of Richard Holbrooke, but I was not a fan and surely his point would be that we if left Afganistan, the number of Al Queda would only grow, so I fail to see how the “War on Terror” is over, following the past arguments of the past national leadership, both Repub and Democratic

I hate to respond simply to say “you missed the point,” but if I don’t then it appears as if I’m ignoring you.

The comment wasn’t about statistics, it was about cognition.

“The debate among the politicians in Washington isn’t just totally disconnected from regular people, it is disconnected from reality itself.”

When people are disconnected from reality is it called “Delusional?”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusion#Definition

“A false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everybody else believes and despite what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary. The belief is not one ordinarily accepted by other members of the person’s culture or subculture.”