Poll: Most support vote for war against ISIS

An overwhelming majority of Americans think Congress should vote to authorize the use of military force against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to a new CNN/ORC poll.

Seventy-eight percent said that Congress should vote for an authorization, while 21 percent said they should not.

{mosads}The president has proposed a war powers measure that prohibits “enduring offensive ground combat operations.”

That language is meant to placate those on the left who are worried that the president could send ground troops to fight ISIS, as well as those on the right who don’t think he should be restricted from using any options.

Those surveyed were not given information about the president’s specific request.

Half of adults said that they oppose using ground troops against ISIS, while 47 percent say they favor that option. In late September, 60 percent of Americans opposed using ground troops.

Though they think Congress should authorize Obama to act against ISIS, a majority disapprove of his handling of the terrorist group.

Fifty-seven percent of adults said that they do not approve of Obama’s handling of ISIS, while 41 percent said that they approved.

Obama performed only slightly better when respondents were asked about how he has dealt with terrorism more broadly. Fifty-four percent said they did not approve of how he handled terrorism, while 44 percent approved.

The poll had a sample of 1,027 adults and a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points. It was conducted between February 12-15.