In US, patience over Iraq thins

The crash of a transport helicopter that killed 31 marines in Iraq - marking the deadliest day for US forces there since the invasion - is putting new weight on Sunday's elections as a potentially critical turning point not only for Iraqis, but for Americans, too. Depending on the outcome, the vote this weekend could dramatically bolster support for the war - providing a sense of hope and progress after weeks of growing public disillusionment - or it could intensify demands for the withdrawal of US troops.

President Bush sought once again to steel public support for the Iraq mission Wednesday, issuing a statement on the helicopter crash and holding a public news conference.

At the press conference, Bush acknowledged that the loss of US marines is "very discouraging to the American people," and he stressed that the US "will complete the mission [in Iraq] as quickly as possible." But he also cast the upcoming elections as "a grand moment for those who believe in freedom."

The incident came amid signs that Americans are increasingly souring on Iraq, with a majority now saying the invasion was a mistake. That sentiment has been reflected in Congress, where Democrats - including some from states that Mr. Bush carried in November - spent the past few days sharply questioning Condoleezza Rice, before confirming her as secretary of State, over mistakes made in the run-up to the Iraq war.

Some members of Congress also expressed concern about how their constituents would react to the Bush administration's request for an additional $80 billion in emergency spending for Iraq and Afghanistan.

To some extent, Bush's growing challenge in rallying public support for the war could be seen in last week's inaugural speech, which offered what was intended to be an idealistic case for the administration's Iraq policy - casting the spread of democracy as the ultimate antidote to terrorism - but which also never mentioned Iraq by name. Polls taken in the wake of the speech showed it had little impact on public views on the war.

Still, the upcoming elections could change all that - either vindicating Bush's policies, or else making success there look unattainable.

"As far as the war is concerned, I think Jan 30 is the ultimate tipping point," says independent pollster John Zogby.

Certainly, public opinion on Iraq has grown markedly more negative in recent weeks, with 52 percent of Americans now saying the war was not worth it, as opposed to 46 percent who think it was, according the most recent Gallup poll.

But the trend is less clear when it comes to whether Americans think the US should withdraw its troops, with 46 percent wanting to withdraw some or all troops, while 50 percent want to keep troop levels where they are or send more.

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