Support for Afghanistan Fading, Poll Finds

From the Wall Street Journal, "Poll Reflects Afghan War Doubts":

Americans are pessimistic about the prospects of victory in Afghanistan; 59% say they are feeling less confident that the war will come to a successful conclusion. And 51% say they would oppose sending more troops to the conflict.

"No matter what we do, it's not going to be the right thing," said Rick Culotta, a 46-year-old Republican in Metairie, La., who responded to the poll.

I don't worry about these numbers as long as the administration does the right thing by sending more troops. As we saw in the later stage of the Iraq counter-insurgency campaign, after the U.S. changed strategy - and conditions on the ground improved - public opinion saw an uptick As I reported earlier (see, "Reconciliation and Resolve in Afghanistan"):

Success matters. As the U.S. beefs up its contingents in Afghanistan, and as it continues its work in "flipping the Taliban," public opinion will hold steady. The worst outcome will be for the Obama administration to cave to the antiwar defeatists and order a downturn in U.S. engagement.

(Interesting side note about this poll, as noted earlier: Independent against Obama outnumber those who support the administration.