and 6 out of 10 say U.S. involvement in the war was a mistake.

Although attitudes about the war in Iraq remain highly partisan, as they have been since its inception more than four years ago, well under half of Republicans at this point say the war is getting better. Only slightly more than half of Americans are aware that the United States is planning to begin removing troops from Iraq during the next several months.

Better or Worse?

The Bush administration and other Republicans recently began talking up progress in Iraq, partially in reaction to the harsh comments about the situation in Iraq by retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino recently said, "I think that, by any measure, if you look at Iraq today, where we've been because of the surge -- where we've come because of the surge, we're in a much better place today." Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell said on ABC's "This Week" this past Sunday, "I think the vast majority of people who are unhappy about the war, are unhappy about it because they don't think it's been handled very well, and they now look at it and see we're actually making progress toward having an acceptable conclusion."

A new USAToday/Gallup poll finds relatively few Americans agree with these assessments -- at least in response to a general question asking Americans' views about whether the situation in Iraq is getting better or getting worse for the United States.

AMSI Net- Gallup