Majority: Bergdahl swap deserves impeachment

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

America is less safe under Barack Obama's leadership, its military probably has little respect for the decisions of the commander in chief, and a majority of Americans believe that removal by impeachment would be a proper result, according to a new poll.

It was the same poll that revealed the depth of disgust America holds for Obama because of his decision to swap five terrorists from Guantanamo Bay for a solder who was detained in the Middle East after he apparently deserted his U.S. Army assignment there.

It showed that 54 percent of Americans say Obama's swap for soldier Bowe Bergdahl amounts to providing aid to terrorists – which violates federal law. And they say impeachment is deserved.

The results are from a national survey of registered voters by Wenzel Strategies. It was conducted June 12-14 and has a margin of error of 3.95 percentage points.

"The country's disapproval of the Obama prisoner exchange likely stems from the fact that they feel the national security of the U.S. should always trump the health and safety of one soldier," said Fritz Wenzel of Wenzel Strategies.

He said the message is not good for the Obama administration.

"The die has largely been cast on this as a serious foreign policy blunder, reinforced by the thought that these five Taliban leaders may well come back to haunt the U.S. much the way Obama's walk away from Iraq is also now blooming into a disaster of epic proportions.

"For a man who came into office promising to unite the world and heal old wounds, the meltdown in the Middle East must be disturbing to even Obama's staunchest supporters. This survey shows the American public has lost all confidence in his leadership abroad, and that they are growing less and less likely to trust his judgment – if not his version of the facts."

Sign the petition that asks whether Americans have had enough and would be willing to tell Congress to change the title of the former community organizer to former president.

The results from the poll reveal that more than 54 percent of all respondents said they agreed Obama should be impeached because of his handling of the Bergdahl case. Only 37 percent disagreed.

Among key numbers was the one revealing that more than 27 percent of Democrats believe in impeachment as a solution for the president from their own party. More than three-quarters of Republicans agreed and nearly 55 percent of independents.

On several other issues, Americans, by a significant margin, believe their nation is less safe under Obama, and they believe the best leaders on national security issues come from the GOP.

They also trust George W. Bush on national security more than Obama, and they trust Hillary Clinton and Dick Cheney nearly as much. Nearly 68 percent give Obama a "fair" or "poor" evaluation, while only 28 percent say his work is good or excellent.

More than 56 percent say they believe he earns little or no respect from members of the military.

"The country has been hit with a series of scandals stemming directly from the Obama administration in recent months and weeks, from the ongoing unanswered questions about the 2012 Benghazi attacks, the VA scandal affecting returning soldiers, the Bergdahl terrorist exchange and now the terrorist resurgence in Iraq," said Wenzel.

"Such an atmosphere of international uncertainty easily explains the survey's finding that just 36 percent said they think the nation is safer from outside threats under the leadership of Barack Obama, and 57 percent feel we are less safe today. Again, the intensity of emotion in the response to this question is important to note, as 52 percent said they believe the nation is 'much less safe' than we were before Obama took office," Wenzel said.

"In addition, Republicans are generally seen as much better leaders on national security and foreign policy than are Democrats, the survey shows," he said.

"And, after nearly six years in office blaming George W. Bush for almost every problem he has faced, the survey shows that Bush is actually trusted more than Obama and several other prominent leaders from both parties when it comes to national security and foreign policy. While 20 percent said they trusted Bush the most, 19 percent said they still trust Obama. Hillary Clinton won support from 18 percent, followed by 15 percent who said they most trusted former Vice President Dick Cheney. Just 13 percent said they trusted John McCain the most, while 6 percent said they trusted John Kerry most of all. One in 10 respondents said they trusted 'none of the above,'" he said.

Similar questions about impeachment have been raised by Wenzel in the past, and in 2013, almost 53 percent of respondents said Obama should be impeached because of what he did, or didn't do, regarding the terror attack on the U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya.

"There is notable outrage about the Obama administration's handling of the murders in Benghazi nearly a year ago, as 53 percent of all respondents said Obama should be impeached for his handling of this issue. Just 9 percent said they were unfamiliar with the Benghazi story, and among those who knew at least a little about it, 58 percent said Obama should be impeached," said Wenzel at the time.

A short time before, a Wenzel poll asked about impeachment, and voters responded that Obama should be impeached for the Internal Revenue Service abuses of Americans.

At that time, more than 52 percent also said Obama should be impeached for his oversight of the National Security Agency, which was revealed to be monitoring the emails, Internet browsing and phone calls of millions of Americans.

About the same total – 53 percent – believe impeachment is appropriate for Obama's behavior regarding Arizona's attempts to enforce federal immigration laws.

At the beginning of 2013, the poll found those advocating impeachment nearly equal to those against it. For example, regarding Obama's campaign for amnesty to illegals, 44 percent said he should be impeached for that, while only 48 percent said he should not. And 46 percent said then they think Obama should be impeached for launching the war to remove Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, while 49 percent said no.

See detailed results of questions from the newest WND/Wenzel Poll:

Considering all that has happened in the world under the leadership of Barack Obama as president, do you think American is more or less secure from outside threats since he has taken office?

Generally speaking, have you found that the best leaders on issues of national security or foreign policy tend to be Democrats or Republicans?

If you had to choose, who among this list do you trust the most to speak as a leader on national security issues and foreign policy issues: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John McCain, Dick Cheney, or George W. Bush?

Considering all that you know about Obama's handling of this situation, do you agree or disagree that he deserves to be impeached because of his actions in this matter?

Switching gears a little now, do you believe President Obama had done an excellent job, a good job, only a fair job, or a poor job handling the situation involving the mismanagement of the Veteran's Administration health care system?

Based on everything you know and have observed of President Obama and his management of the United States armed forces, do you think he has a great deal of respect, some respect, not very much respect, or no respect at all for the average soldier in military service?

Sign the petition that asks whether Americans have had enough and would be willing to tell Congress to change the title of the former community organizer to former president.