Obama Gets Support for Afghan Plan, But His Overall Approval Rating Drops

Good news and bad news for President Obama: big majorities of Americans support his plan to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and set a timetable to begin withdrawal in 2011. But, the public's overall approval rating on Obama's job performance dropped from 55 percent in mid-November to 48 percent, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted Dec. 2-3.

"The poll indicates that the biggest drop in approval comes from non college educated white voters," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "That's one indication among many that Obama's growing unpopularity may be more related to unemployment and the poor economy."

While the poll found Americans opposing the war in Afghanistan by 51 percent to 46 percent, they backed sending the additional troops by 62 percent to 36 percent and the timetable by 66 percent to 32 percent. However, 59 percent believed it was a bad idea for Obama to announce the timetable part of the plan at this time.

A CNN poll in late November, before Obama's speech to West Point and the nation, had found Americans split on whether to send 34,000 more troops.

By 61 percent to 33 percent, Americans don't believe conditions will be good enough in Afghanistan in summer 2011 for the U.S. to start removing troops.

At the moment, nearly two-thirds of the public still blames former President Bush for the situation Obama inherited in Afghanistan. But 54 percent said the burden of blame would shift to Obama if conditions in Afghanistan don't improve by 2011, with only 34 percent still inclined to point the finger at Bush.