A majority of Americans do not trust the upcoming report by top US commander in Iraq on the progress of the war, a new poll says. US President George W. Bush has frequently asked Congress and the American people to withhold judgment on his so-called "troop surge" in Iraq until David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to Iraq, issue their progress report in September.
But according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released on Friday, 53 percent of people polled said they suspect that the military assessment of the situation will try to make it sound better than it actually is.
The poll also indicates that most of America's mind is made up about the war--72 percent said the report will have no effect on their view of the war.
White House press secretary Tony Snow reacted to the poll, saying that he hoped that "people do not try to engage in personal attacks on Gen. Petraeus or Ambassador Ryan Crocker."
Twenty-six percent of those polled feel that the Iraqi government is making progress, while 69 percent said that it wasn't.
Of those opposed to the war, 47 percent said Petreaus' report could not change their mind while 17 percent said it could.
The survey was based on interviews of 1,029 Americans by telephone between Aug. 6 and 8.