Poll shows solid support for Petraeus plan

When President Bush addresses the nation Thursday night to lay out the way forward in Iraq, his sell might not be so difficult, according to a new poll that shows a large majority of Americans believes that it is likely that large numbers of U.S. troops will still be in Iraq in five years.

{mosads} Bush is expected to endorse the recommendations from Gen. David Petraeus, who proposed that the number of U.S. troops in Iraq be reduced to the pre-surge level by July 2008.

A Rasmussen poll released Thursday showed that 43 percent of Americans support the Petraeus plan while 38 percent oppose it. In addition, 71 percent of respondents said it is likely that “a large number of U.S. soldiers will remain in Iraq five years from today.”

The support for the Petraeus plan is split along party lines. Sixty-six percent of Republicans support it while 55 percent of Democrats are opposed to it. According to the poll, independents are evenly divided.

The survey of 1,000 adults, who were quizzed about their views on Tuesday and Wednesday, also showed that 65 percent of Americans followed the testimony of Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker before Congress this week.