"The picture it paints is that, after all the blood and treasure we've
spent
and despite the [U.S.-led] occupation's democracy efforts, we're in a
position now that the moderates would not win if an election were held
today," said a U.S. official who requested anonymity because the poll has
not been released.

Religious Leaders Ahead in Iraq Poll
U.S.-Supported Government Is Losing Ground
By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 22, 2004; Page A01

Leaders of Iraq's religious parties have emerged as the country's most
popular politicians and would win the largest share of votes if an election

were held today, while the U.S.-backed government of interim Prime Minister

Ayad Allawi is losing serious ground, according to a U.S.-financed poll by
the International Republican Institute.

More than 45 percent of Iraqis also believe that their country is heading
in
the wrong direction, and 41 percent say it is moving in the right
direction.

Within the Bush administration, a victory by Iraq's religious parties is
viewed as the worst-case scenario. Washington has hoped that Allawi and the

current team, which was selected by U.S. and U.N. envoys, would win or do
well in Iraq's first democratic election, in January. U.S. officials
believe
a secular government led by moderates is critical, in part because the new
government will oversee writing a new Iraqi constitution.

"The picture it paints is that, after all the blood and treasure we've
spent
and despite the [U.S.-led] occupation's democracy efforts, we're in a
position now that the moderates would not win if an election were held
today," said a U.S. official who requested anonymity because the poll has
not been released.

U.S. officials acknowledge that the political honeymoon after the handover
of political power on June 28 ended much earlier than anticipated. The new
poll, based on 2,000 face-to-face interviews conducted among all ethnic and

religious groups nationwide between Sept. 24 and Oct. 4, shows that Iraqi
support for the government has plummeted to about 43 percent who believe it

is effective, down from 62 percent in a late-summer poll.

A senior State Department official played down the results. "When the
interim government took over, the [poll] numbers were artificially high.
It's very difficult to meet expectations when they're sky-high," he said on

the condition of anonymity because the data are still being analyzed.

But in another blow, one out of three Iraqis blames the U.S.-led
multinational force for Iraq's security problems, slightly more than the 32

percent who blame foreign terrorists, the poll shows. Only 8 percent blame
members of the former government.

"We had convinced everyone -- Americans and Iraqis -- that things might
change with the return of sovereignty, but, in fact, things went the other
way," a congressional staff member said. "What's particularly damning is
that the multinational force gets more blame than the terrorists for the
problems in Iraq. It's all trending in the wrong way . . . and it's not
likely we'll be able to change public sentiment much before the election. "

...."


+--+
| Hezbollah endorses George W. Bush: http://www.hezbollah.ws/
| http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html -- Scientology crime syndicate
| "And his daughter drips semen relentlessly." - Molina
+--+

Religious Leaders Ahead in Iraq Poll
U.S.-Supported Government Is Losing Ground
By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 22, 2004; Page A01

Leaders of Iraq's religious parties have emerged as the country's most
popular politicians and would win the largest share of votes if an election

were held today, while the U.S.-backed government of interim Prime Minister

Ayad Allawi is losing serious ground, according to a U.S.-financed poll by
the International Republican Institute.

More than 45 percent of Iraqis also believe that their country is heading
in
the wrong direction, and 41 percent say it is moving in the right
direction.

Within the Bush administration, a victory by Iraq's religious parties is
viewed as the worst-case scenario. Washington has hoped that Allawi and the

current team, which was selected by U.S. and U.N. envoys, would win or do
well in Iraq's first democratic election, in January. U.S. officials
believe
a secular government led by moderates is critical, in part because the new
government will oversee writing a new Iraqi constitution.

"The picture it paints is that, after all the blood and treasure we've
spent
and despite the [U.S.-led] occupation's democracy efforts, we're in a
position now that the moderates would not win if an election were held
today," said a U.S. official who requested anonymity because the poll has
not been released.