Poll: Obama's approval on Afghanistan plummets to 35 percent

With the war in Afghanistan increasingly unpopular among U.S. voters, and after long deliberation on a troop surge decision, President Obama's approval on the matter has crashed to a new low.

After the long awaited announcement on the troop surge, 30,000 Americans are now heading to the war in Afghanistan - a determination President Obama considers in "our vital national interest." In a prime-time speech delivered at West Point, Obama has taken the Afghanistan conflict fully under his wing. However, the president's approach to Afghanistan does not appear to be in line with the expectations of Americans. According to a new poll released by Gallup, only 35 percent of Americans approve of the job President Obama has done with regard to Afghanistan. The Gallup approval ratings represent an absolute plummet from 56 percent approval on the matter in July. While some Democratic legislators have been pushing a tax to fund the war in Afghanistan, an idea that appears to have been shot down, the costs of the additional 30,000 troops are expected to range between $30 billion and $40 billion. With nearly 1,500 coalition casualties to date, the war in Afghanistan is clearly unpopular among Americans. "The decline in Obama's approval rating on Afghanistan is evident among all party groups, with double-digit decreases since September among Republicans (17 points), independents (16 points), and Democrats (10 points)," Gallup reported.