Over the past month, Americans have reversed themselves on whether they think ground troops are needed to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), according to the results of the most recent
NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll.
The
newest poll shows that 41 percent of respondents think ground troops and airstrikes are necessary, compared with 35 percent who think the actions should be limited to airstrikes. Fifteen percent of those polled said no military action should be taken.
A month ago, just 34 percent — a seven-point difference — favored both airstrikes and combat troops, and 40 percent wanted just airstrikes.
In a September NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Annenberg poll, 72 percent of Americans surveyed said they believed the United States would use ground troops despite President Barack Obama's repeated promise to the contrary.
"As your commander-in-chief, I will not commit you and the rest of our Armed Forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq," the president told military personnel at the U.S. Central Command in Tampa in September. "After a decade of massive ground deployments, it is more effective to use our unique capabilities in support of partners on the ground so they can secure their own countries' futures. And that's the only solution that will succeed over the long term."
In that same September poll, 45 percent of Americans supported using ground troops if military commanders recommended it, while 37 percent were opposed.
Obama is facing soaring disapproval ratings, ranging from 49 percent to 58 percent over the past few weeks, according to
Real Clear Politics.
In the Oct. 8-12 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll of 1,000 Americans, 55 percent of respondents — including a third of Democrats — disapproved of how the president is handling the battle against ISIS.