Most Americans consider Israel's bombing campaign in Lebanon justified, but they are divided about what role the US should play in the crisis and how closely the US should align itself with the Jewish state, a Los Angeles Times/ Bloomberg poll has found.
Discontent with president George Bush's leadership was found on a variety of fronts, including the war in Iraq (60 per cent disapproval) and the economy (59 per cent disapproval).
The survey, conducted between Friday and Tuesday, also found that US public opinion on the Middle East was evolving, with support for US engagement in the conflict rising steadily along with the death toll - particularly following Sunday's Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon that killed dozens of civilians in Qana.
The poll found that nearly three in five respondents - 59 per cent - backed Israel in the dispute. Just 13 per cent backed an immediate ceasefire, while 45 per cent said the US should work with both sides to forge an international agreement.
The poll found that 43 per cent said Israel's bombing campaign was not excessively harsh, while 16 per cent described the response as justified but excessive. Twenty-eight per cent said the response to Hizbullah was unjustified.
Overall, 50 per cent of respondents said the US should continue to align with Israel, compared to 44 per cent who backed a "more neutral posture". The partisan gap was clear: Democrats supported neutrality over alignment, 54 per cent to 39 per cent, while Republicans supported alignment with Israel, 64 per cent to 29 per cent.
A poll question about immigration reflected the political complexity of the issue and the extent to which Mr Bush's involvement in it seems to colour the public's view.
The president has challenged his party's conservative base by backing a plan that would create a guest-worker plan that would put most of the illegal immigrants already in the US on a path to citizenship. Many Republicans oppose that approach, while most Democrats back it. - (Los Angeles Times-Washington Post service)