Tom Murphy
RedwoodAge.com

President Bush appears to be gaining ground in his efforts to convince Americans to "stay the course" in Iraq. A new poll shows fewer people think the war was a mistake and 29 percent believe it is going "somewhat well."

The poll, released as Bush made yet another pitch on the importance of battling al-Qaida in Iraq, said 42 percent of Americans now think the invasion of Iraq more than four years ago was the right thing to do, up from 35 percent in May. The poll, conducted by The New York Times and CBS, also showed 51 percent now think the war was a mistake, down from 61 percent.

Still, two thirds of Americans think the war is going badly, and a similar number want the US to reduce its forces in Iraq or end the war. The poll was conducted Friday and Saturday by calling 889 adults and has a margin of error of about 3 percent, the pollsters said.

Bush promoted the war again Tuesday in a carefully staged speech to a friendly audience of uniformed troops at Charleston Air Force Base.

"The merger between al-Qaida and its Iraqi affiliate is an alliance of killers and that is why the finest military in the world is on their trail," Bush said. Citing security details he declassified for his speech, Bush described al-Qaida's burgeoning operation in Iraq as a direct threat and accused critics in Congress of misleading the American public by suggesting otherwise.

Those critics note the al-Qaida wasn't even in Iraq before the US invaded the country in March 2003, despite now infamous efforts by White House officials to orchestrate a link between Saddam Hussein and the terrorist group led by Osama bin-Laden.

Last week, a new national intelligence estimate warned that the United States is in a heightened threat environment, mainly from al-Qaida, a finding that seemed to fuel the fire of rage against the war.

Now, the terror group has a vast network inside Iraq, has regained its strength within training camps in US-allied Pakistan, and is prepared to strike on American soil despite the lengthy "war on terror" and the imposition of new restrictions on the civil rights of Americans.

Yet Bush is trying to turn the report to his advantage and the poll results suggest his efforts are working.

"I've presented intelligence that clearly establishes this connection," Bush said in a claim frequently disputed by those opposed by the war.

Bush cited intelligence reporting that: _Al-Qaida in Iraq was founded not by an Iraqi, but by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who had deep relations with al-Qaida leaders. The president said Zarqawi, who was killed by U.S. forces last year, set up operations with terrorist associates in Iraq long before U.S.-led forces arrived, and that in the violence and instability following Saddam Hussein's fall, was able to expand the "size, scope and lethality" of his operation.

Zarqawi formally joined al-Qaida in 2004 and pledged allegiance to bin Laden, he said. The merger of bin Laden and Zarqawi in Iraq fostered "prestige among potential recruits and financiers."

The president also noted ties between the Iraqi al-Qaida group and bin-Laden's organization, including the presence of several leaders in Iraq who worked with bin-Laden's group elsewhere.

However all his comments also seemed to suggest the war in Iraq has drawn more terrorists into Iraq, a fact sure to be noted by critics.

The AP contributed to this report.