Lynn Sweet: Obama approval at 48 percent: CNN poll

1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?

Dec. 2-3 Nov. 13-15
2009 2009

Approve 48% 55%
Disapprove 50% 42%
No opinion 2% 3%

Oct. 30-Nov. 1 Oct. 16-18 Sept. 11-13 Aug. 28-31 July 31-Aug. 3 June 26-28
2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009

Approve 54% 55% 58% 53% 56% 61%
Disapprove 45% 43% 40% 45% 40% 37%
No opinion 1% 2% 2% 2% 4% 3%

May 14-17 Apr. 23-26 Apr. 3-5 Mar. 12-15 Feb. 18-19 Feb. 7-8
2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009

Approve 62% 63% 66% 64% 67% 76%
Disapprove 35% 33% 30% 34% 29% 23%
No opinion 3% 5% 3% 2% 4% 1%


QUESTIONS 1 AND 2 COMBINED

1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
2. (IF DISAPPROVE) Do you disapprove because you think his policies and actions since he became president have been too liberal, or because you think his policies and actions have not been liberal enough?

Dec. 2-3
2009

Approve (from Question 1) 48%
Disapprove, too liberal 40%
Disapprove, not liberal enough 8%
Disapprove, unsure on Question 2 2%
No opinion 2%

18. Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan?

Dec. 2-3 Nov. 13-15 Oct. 30-Nov. 1
2009 2009 2009

Favor 46% 45% 40%
Oppose 51% 52% 58%
No opinion 2% 3% 2%

Oct. 16-18 Sept. 11-13 Aug. 28-31 July 31-Aug. 3 May 14-17 Apr. 3-5 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009

Favor 41% 39% 42% 41% 50% 53%
Oppose 57% 58% 57% 54% 48% 46%
No opinion 2% 3% 2% 5% 3% 1%

Feb. 18-19 Dec. 1-2 July 27-29 Jan. 19-21 Sept. 22-24
2009 2008 2008 2007 2006

Favor 47% 52% 46% 44% 50%
Oppose 51% 46% 52% 52% 48%
No opinion 2% 2% 2% 4% 2%


19. Regardless of how you feel about the war in general, do you favor or oppose President Obama's plan to send about 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in an attempt to stabilize the situation there?

Dec. 2-3
2009

Favor 62%
Oppose 36%
No opinion 2%

FOR COMPARISON
Regardless of how you feel about the war in general, do you favor or oppose President Bush's plan to send about 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq in an attempt to stabilize the situation there?



Mar. 9-11
2007
Jan. 19-21
2007
Jan. 11
2007






Favor
37%
35%
32%

Oppose
59%
63%
66%

No opinion
4%
2%
3%

20. President Obama also announced that he plans to start removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011. Thinking specifically about that policy and not about Obama's decision to announce it at this time, do you favor or oppose Obama's plan to start removing troops from Afghanistan in 2011?

Dec. 2-3
2009

Favor 66%
Oppose 32%
No opinion 2%


21. And regardless of how you feel about the plan to start removing troops in 2011, do you think it was a good idea or a bad idea for Obama to announce that policy at this time?

Dec. 2-3
2009

Good idea 39%
Bad idea 59%
No opinion 2%


22. And just your best guess -- do you think conditions in Afghanistan will or will not be good enough in the summer of 2011 for the U.S. to start removing troops?

Dec. 2-3
2009

Conditions will be good enough 33%
Conditions will not be good enough 61%
No opinion 6%

30. Whose policies do you blame for the problems that the U.S. is currently facing in Afghanistan -- the policies of George W. Bush or the policies of Barack Obama?

Dec. 2-3
2009

Bush 64%
Obama 17%
Both equal/Neither (vol.) 18%
No opinion 1%


31. And if the current situation facing the U.S. in Afghanistan does not improve by the summer of 2011, whose policies would you blame for that -- the policies of George W. Bush, or the policies of Barack Obama?

Dec. 2-3
2009

Bush 34%
Obama 54%
Both equal/Neither (vol.) 12%
No opinion 1%