Support among Iraqis for the government in Baghdad has plunged since the U.S. appointed it last summer. Just over 45 percent of those surveyed said Allawi had been effective since taking office in June, down from over 66 percent in July. Support for his government plummeted from 62 percent to 43 percent over the same period. (Coincidentally, those numbers are about the same as Americans' evaluation of George W. Bush's handling of his War on Terror.)
The survey, ironically entitled "Optimistic Outlook on the Future and Support for Democracy Continues in Iraq" was taken at the end of September and showed popular support for U.S. appointed interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi had dropped more than 20 percentage points since July.
There's cause to wonder if even these dismal numbers aren't a bit too optimistic. The survey was carried out by an outfit called the "International Republican Institute," which is a U.S. government-funded organization created during the Reagan administration to promote democracy around the world. Lately it has been called upon to provide "independent" research in support of the George W. Bush's War on Terror and to oversee efforts to build political parties in Iraq. It is headed by Bush administration apologists like Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Rep. David Dreier (R-CA), Sen. Chuck Hagel, (R-NE), Rep. Jim Kolbe, (R-AZ) and a whole host of defense contractors and former Republican administration appointees.
The Washington Post, reporting figures not publicly released by the IRI, said the survey also found that the most popular politician in Iraq was Abdel Aziz Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, followed closely by anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Seattle Times - Survey: Support for regime slipping
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