Poll: 72 Percent Back Afghan Drawdown

Politico reports:

An overwhelming majority of Americans support President Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

In the Gallup survey, 72 percent of Americans say they back Obama’s overall plan to withdraw 33,000 troops in the next year or so and then hand over control of Afghanistan to the Afghan people by the end of 2014. Twenty-three percent oppose it.

Backing for the long-term plan is weaker among Republicans, with 50 percent favoring the plan while 43 percent oppose it, the poll found.

Meanwhile, 30 percent of Americans agree with the president’s timetable to withdraw from Afghanistan, 33 percent say the withdrawal should happen faster, and 31 percent say there should not be a set timetable for withdrawal. Support for Obama’s timetable is strongest among Democrats — 45 percent approve — while 27 percent of independents and 19 percent of Republicans back it.