Majority of Iowa Republican Caucus Goers Favor Iraq Withdrawal Within 6 Months

I reported this back in August: a slim majority of Republican caucus goers favor withdrawing US troops from Iraq within six months, according to data from Strategic Vision, a Republican polling firm.

Strategic Vision has done a poll of Iowans once a month since then, and both September’s and October’s numbers confirm that the August data was not a fluke. Even after Gen. David Petraeus testified before both houses of Congress, Republican support for withdrawal from Iraq has steadied and perhaps even grown here in Iowa, to a whopping 54% in October. Here are the numbers going back as far as Strategic Vision seems to have been asking the question, “Do you favor a withdrawal of all United States military from Iraq within the next six months? (Republicans Only)”:

I argued a few weeks ago that I thought this gave Rep. Ron Paul an opening in Iowa, since he is the only candidate who publicly opposes the war.

Strategic Vision also asks Republicans another interesting question: “Do you see President George W. Bush as a conservative Republican in the mode of Ronald Reagan? In October 5% said yes, 72% said no. That falls in line with the answers Republicans were giving since January. About 70% of Iowa Republicans think it is “very important” or “somewhat important” to have a conservative Republican “in the mode of Ronald Reagan” as their nominee.