Poll: GOP better against terrorism, Dems better on Iraq

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Americans believe Democrats would do a better job of dealing with the situation in Iraq and handling the economy, but Republicans would do a better job against terrorism, according to a poll released Tuesday.

On terrorism, Republicans were favored by 48 percent of respondents, versus 38 percent for Democrats. Eleven percent said there would be no difference and 3 percent offered no opinion.

But on the war in Iraq, respondents favored Democrats over Republicans by 47 percent to 41 percent, with 8 percent saying there would be no difference, and 3 percent expressing no opinion. (Interactive: Poll results on terrorism, Iraq)

That's a reversal of what national sentiment was in January 2003, when Republicans were favored over Democrats 53 to 29 percent in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.(Complete poll results -- PDF)

The poll of 1,033 adult Americans was conducted by telephone for CNN by Opinion Research Corporation. It has a sampling error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.

Most Americans, according to the poll, seem to have separate opinions about the war in Iraq and terrorism, with more than half (52 percent) saying the war in Iraq is a distraction from the U.S. efforts against terrorists who want to attack targets inside the United States.

A smaller percentage, 44 percent, said the war in Iraq "is an essential part" of U.S. efforts against terrorists who want to attack targets inside the United States.

Rising opposition to the war

The same poll, in results made public Monday, found that opposition among Americans to the war in Iraq has reached a new high, with only about a third of respondents saying they favor it. (Full story)

Despite the rising sentiment against the war, President Bush on Monday said the United States would not withdrawal from Iraq until the mission to create a stable democracy is completed. (Full story)

"If we ever give up the desire to help people who want to live in a free society, we will have lost our soul as a nation," Bush said.

"A failed Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will provide safe haven for terrorists and extremists. It will embolden those who are trying to thwart the ambitions of reformers.

"In this case, it would give the terrorists and extremists an additional tool besides safe haven, and that is revenues from oil sales," the president said.

"Leaving before the job is done would be a disaster," Bush said. (Watch as a growing number of Americans disagree with the president -- 1:59)

Democrats blasted Bush for failing to provide a new strategy and again called for a redeployment of the troops in Iraq to begin this year, The Associated Press reported.

"Far from spreading freedom and democracy in the Middle East, the Bush administration has watched while extremists grow stronger, Iran goes nuclear, Iraq falls into civil war and oil and gas prices skyrocket. Simply staying the course is unacceptable," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada told AP.

The increased opposition came as President Bush got a modest uptick in his approval rating, moving to 42 percent in the poll conducted last weekend. That's up from 37 percent in a poll conducted June 14-15 and 40 percent in a poll conducted August 2-3.

Good signs for Democrats?

Whether voters place more importance on fighting terror or the handling of the Iraq war and the economy could affect the outcome of this year's mid-term elections.

"I really believe that what's going to drive this election is the war in Iraq," Roll Call's David Drucker told CNN. "People feel ... very insecure about the world situation, about terrorism." Drucker told CNN. "As long as the war in Iraq is difficult, I think voters will feel more insecure about the terrorist threat, and that can potentially benefit Democrats."

On the issue of which party would better steer the economy, Democrats have bested Republicans in CNN/USA Today/Gallup polls since July 2003.

In the August 18-20 poll, Democrats' handling of the economy was favored by 52 percent, Republicans' by 38 percent. Seven percent said there would be no difference, and 3 percent said they had no opinion.

On the issue of which party would better handle terrorism, Republicans have beaten Democrats for more than four years, though by shrinking margins.

Asked whether the chances of terrorist attacks would be higher or lower if the Democrats were to win control of Congress this November, 24 percent said higher, 17 percent lower, 56 percent said it would have no effect and 3 percent said they had no opinion.

The Republicans' command of the issue has slipped. In May 2002, Republicans bested Democrats on the issue of terrorism 51 percent to 19 percent in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

A growing minority of Americans say the United States and its allies are winning the "war on terrorism," with the percentage rising from 31 percent in a poll conducted August 2-3 to 36 percent in the August 18-20 survey.

That's still fewer than the number who expressed similar sentiments last January, when 41 percent said the United States and its allies were winning, and far behind the 66 percent who said they felt that way in January 2002, four months after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Asked how much confidence they have in the Bush administration to protect U.S. citizens from future acts of terrorism, 22 percent said a "great deal," and 37 percent said a "moderate amount."

That's down from 30 percent and 34 percent, respectively, cited last January in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

CNN's Matthew Hoye contributed to this report.