Democrats see no possibility of Afghan victory

Editor's note: This is another in a series of monthly "WND/WENZEL POLLS" - polls conducted exclusively for WND by the public-opinion research and media consulting company Wenzel Strategies.

U.S. Thunderbolt flying mission over Afghanistan

A new survey reveals a deeply divided United States over the war in Afghanistan and the battles against terrorists, with Democrats expressing strong doubts about a coalition victory while Republicans don't doubt the possibility of winning but doubt President Obama's ability to lead the way.

The results were revealed this week in a WorldNetDaily/Wenzel Strategies survey on the conflict in Afghanistan. It was done in conjunction with the WND Freedom Index, a monthly assessment of how Americans feel about their freedoms under Obama's policies.

"Democrats and Republicans want the same thing – a way out in Afghanistan, but the partisans clearly want to take different paths," said Fritz Wenzel in an analysis of the results.

The survey was done by Wenzel Strategies Oct. 15-19 and holds a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

"A majority of Democrats are doubtful or unsure about the prospects for a coalition victory in Afghanistan, but Republican voters say they are confident that the war there can be won," wrote Wenzel.

The tables revealed that there was a similar split between Democrats and Republicans, who mostly were joined by independents, in expressing concern over the safety and security of the United States under Obama.

To the question as to whether the U.S. is safer, less safe or about the same under Obama, nearly 75 percent of the Democrats stated it is safer. However, more than 80 percent of the Republicans feared it is less safe and they were joined by nearly half of the independents in that assessment.

The other half of the independents were nearly split with their views the nation is safer or the same as before.

And the survey also revealed that almost one-third of the nation wants the American military to use "advanced weaponry" or even tactical nukes to finish the Afghanistan dispute once and for all.

"The survey comes as President Obama continues to mull a request by his top military leader in Afghanistan to send tens of thousands of troop reinforcements," Wenzel said. "The White House has said its decision on the matter of sending more soldiers to Afghanistan will be made in the next several weeks."

On the issue of a possible victory in Afghanistan, 35 percent of the Democrats believe the nation can succeed, 32 percent said no, and another 32 percent were unsure. The GOP didn't present such an equally divided front, with 57 percent saying it can be won, 16 percent disagreeing and 26 percent unsure.

Four in 10 independents said the U.S. can win, 30 percent said no and 29 percent were unsure.

"The series of questions on the topic revealed some interesting findings, including a plurality of American voters who would prefer that the U.S. take back control of the war from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization," Wenzel said. "NATO has commanded the war for years while the U.S. concentrated on the war in Iraq, but 42 percent said they think the U.S. should take back control of the war that started a month after the attacks in New York and Washington in September, 2001. Another 35 percent said they do not want the U.S. to take back control, with the balance being not sure.

"However, 53 percent of independents and 79 percent of Republicans doubt that President Obama has the judgment and political will to conduct a successful war effort, the survey shows. As one would expect, Democrats feel differently – 80 percent of Democrats think he is a competent leader to head a successful war effort," Wenzel adaded.

"With every question on this topic, Democrats were much more opposed to fighting the war, while the GOP wanted to move forward. Asked if they favored sending more troops, Democrats opposed it while Republicans favored it," he said.

"Thinking about using dramatic American firepower, including nuclear weapons, to end this war once and for all, there was some semblance of an agreement, as a majority of both Democrats and Republicans opposed it – but still, one third of respondents overall said those weapons should be used to end this war," he continued.

Americans who favor moving into Pakistan to kill or capture Taliban or al-Qaida members outnumber opponents 45 percent to 35 percent.

"Finally, 44 percent [overall] said that they feel the country is less safe under the leadership of President Obama, while 38 percent said they believe we are more safe," Wenzel said.

"The package of survey questions reveals one clear point about Democrats – they clearly do not like that this issue is rearing its ugly head at a time when the big effort in Washington is to reform the landscape of domestic policies – health-care-system reform chief among them. Every day that news outlets spend more time talking about another four or five troop deaths in Afghanistan clearly erodes confidence in the government to manage all that is demanded of it in the modern world," Wenzel said.

If you are a member of the media and would like to interview Fritz Wenzel about this story, please e-mail.

See detailed results of survey questions:

Do you believe that the war in Afghanistan can be won?

How confident are you that President Obama has the judgment and political will to conduct a successful war?

For the last several years, the coalition war against the Taliban and al-Qaida has been led by a Europe-based military organization. Should the U.S. take back leadership of the war effort?

Do you favor a significant increase in the number of troops to fight in Afghanistan?

Do you think that the war in Afghanistan can be won without killing Osama bin Laden?

The U.S. has been fighting the war in Afghanistan for more than eight years. Do you favor the use of advanced weaponry, up to and including tactical nuclear weapons, to finish the conflict once and for all?

Some say the U.S. should invade the tribal areas of Pakistan where many top al-Qaida leaders are thought to be. Some say we should stay out of Pakistan because it would widen the war. Which do you favor?

Under the leadership of President Obama, is the U.S. safer, less safe, or the same as before?

If you would like to sound off on this issue, participate in today's WND Poll.