The Post-ABC poll found that the public trusts congressional Democrats over Bush to deal with the conflict by a margin of 60 percent to 33 percent.
The President's position is crumbling. The Post-ABC poll shows that 65 percent of Americans oppose sending more troops to Iraq; it was 61 percent immediately after the president unveiled the plan on Jan. 10 in a nationally televised address.
The Post article explains "... many Democrats in both chambers advocate even stronger measures designed to block the deployment of the additional troops, including capping the number of troops at their levels of Jan. 1 or putting strings on the money for the new troops. They would have broad initial public support to do so: 59 percent of all Americans, including more than a quarter of Republicans, want Congress to try to block the president's plan to send more troops."
Interestingly enough, the last President that was this low in the polls was Nixon. The neocons of today have struggled to reverse the shift in power from the executive to the legislative branch that occurred as a result of the excesses of that era. Thier grab for power was designed to, not only, right that perceived wrong, but to assume unprecedented executive power as a permanent power hedge. Ironically, the neocon excesses and the intransigence of the administration will ensure that Congress assert its prerogatives once again.
Restoring the former balance of power and requiring the executive to respect the will of the people is an important short term goal. Weakening the executive beyond a reasonable balance of power is not. Whatever Congress does, it needs to keep the long term interests of the United States in mind. Any attempt to raid the executive of power, not appropriate to the legislative sphere will merely set up the next stage of the "battle of the branches" and make short term governing more precarious in a dangerous time.
Congress needs to assert its power. The neocons and their extra-constitutional agenda need to be put in their place. However, we need to approach this with wisdom for the long view to balance against the heat of the moment. The real goal is not about Bush. It's about getting our country back on track.