WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (AFP) - As a new poll showed US skepticism about the war in Iraq at a new high, the White House on Tuesday appealed for Americans' support and condemned a deadly attack on a US base in the city of Mosul.
"The stakes are high in Iraq. When we help the Iraqi people realize a free and democratic and peaceful future, it will be a significant blow to the ambitions of the terrorists," said spokesman Scott McClellan.
Building a democracy in Iraq, starting with elections set for January 30, is "central to our efforts to win the war on terrorism," McClellan said after at least 22 people were reportedly killed in a rocket strike on the US base.
Fox News, citing the Pentagon, reported that three rockets hit a dining hall on the base in the northern city of Mosul during lunch. Those killed included US troops, Iraqi forces and employees at the base, according to CNN.
"As we move forward in helping the Iraqi people build a free and democratic future, the enemies of freedom will seek to derail that transition," McClellan said when asked about the attack.
The strike came one day after US President George W. Bush acknowledged that Iraqi forces were not ready to take over from US-led forces in providing security and said that deadly violence was taking its toll on US morale.
"It's important that we continue to go after the Saddam loyalists and the terrorists who want to turn back to the past," said McClellan. "They are being defeated."
McClellan also downplayed an ABC News/Washington Post poll out Monday that found that more Americans than ever, about 56 percent, say the war in Iraq is not worth fighting.
"The president has never been one to govern based on polls. I mean, polls are snapshots in time, and we are working to continue to build upon the progress being made in Iraq," the spokesman said.
The survey found that some 57 percent of those surveyed disapproved of Bush's handling of Iraq, just one point lower than his rating at the height of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's approval rating was only 35 percent -- half of where it stood when Baghdad fell -- and 52 percent said Bush should sack him.
Americans also expressed doubts about Iraq's elections planned for January 30, with 58 percent saying the country is not ready and 54 percent saying the polls would not be honest and fair.
But 60 percent said the elections should be held as planned anyway, even though 54 percent doubted the balloting would yield a stable government.
"We are working to help the Iraqi people realize a better future and to move forward on holding elections," said McClellan. "The elections are an important step forward in that process. But it is the beginning of a process."
Iraq has taken a toll on Bush's overall approval rating, which has dropped 11 points from one year ago.
Only 48 percent of Americans approved of his job performance, down from 59 percent one year ago and 66 percent two years ago.
The poll, which questioned 1,004 adults by telephone from December 16 to 19, has a three-percentage-point margin of error.
12/21/2004 17:25 GMT - AFP