Americans oppose US troop increase in Iraq - polls

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) A majority of Americans do not approve of US President George W Bush's plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq, according to new polls released as the US House of Representatives takes up a nonbinding resolution condemning the troop increase.

Sixty per cent of Americans oppose the deployment that is part of Bush's new strategy for restoring security in Iraq, according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll published today.

The House opens debate today, on a two-sentence resolution disapproving a troop buildup in Iraq but also pledging support for US forces serving there. A vote was planned for Friday.

Fifty-one per cent of those polled said they favor congressional debate of a nonbinding resolution.

Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they were irritated by the Senate's failure to act last week on an Iraq resolution, USA Today said.

An overwhelming majority of Americans, 63 per cent, support congressional action to withdraw all US troops by the end of next year and 57 per cent back a cap on troop levels, according to the poll.

A CBS News poll released on the eve of the House debate found 63 per cent of Americans disapprove of Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq, where a wave of sectarian violence has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis.

But the CBS poll found a nearly even split on whether Congress should pass a resolution expressing disapproval of the plan.

Forty-four per cent favored passage of the measure while 45 per cent were opposed.

With tension on the rise between the United States and Iran over US accusations that Iran is suppling arms to Iraqi insurgents, just one in five Americans believe Iran is a threat that should be met now with a military response, CBS said. More than half, 57 per cent, said that for now diplomacy is the way to deal with Iran.

Iran denies that is sending weapons to Iraqi militants fighting US-led forces in Iraq.

The USA Today/Gallup poll of 1,006 adults was conducted February 9-11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

A random sample of 1,142 adults were interviewed in the CBS News poll February 8-11. The margin of error was plus or minus three percentage points.

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