MILITARY FOLKS & PRES. FREDO

Back on August 1st, Zogby released a poll that showed military people - active duty, retired, families, etc. - didn't think much of The Decider. Today, the LA Times/Bloomberg poll gets a similar result.

Bush loses ground with military families

A majority disapprove of the president's handling of the war in Iraq and are more in line with the views of the general public.

By Faye Fiore, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer December 7, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Families with ties to the military, long a reliable source of support for wartime presidents, disapprove of President Bush and his handling of the war in Iraq, with a majority concluding the invasion was not worth it, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

The views of the military community, which includes active-duty service members, veterans and their family members, mirror those of the overall adult population, a sign that the strong military endorsement that the administration often pointed to has dwindled in the war's fifth year.

One-quarter say American troops should stay "as long as it takes to win." Nearly seven in 10 favor a withdrawal within the coming year or "right away." Military families are only slightly more patient: 35% are willing to stay until victory; 58% want the troops home within a year or sooner.

And among those families with soldiers, sailors and Marines who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, 60% say that the war in Iraq was not worth the cost, the same result as all adults surveyed.

When military families were asked which party could be trusted to do a better job of handling issues related to them, respondents divided almost evenly: 39% said Democrats and 35% chose Republicans.