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POLLING on the Iraq war suggests Americans aren't as eager to withdraw as the Democrats' two remaining presidential candidates.

A Pew Research Center poll last month showed 53 percent believe the United States will achieve its goals in Iraq, a significant improvement over the 42 percent with that view in September. Forty-eight percent say the war is going "very well” or "fairly well.”

Pew found that while 49 percent favor bringing U.S. troops home as soon as possible, 47 percent think they should stay until the situation stabilizes. Similarly, a CBS News poll conducted last month shows opinions about the war are better now than any time since August 2006.

The numbers aren't totally surprising. Democrats misread the mandate they received in the 2006 elections, believing public unhappiness with the war's conduct meant Americans didn't want to win.

Americans were unhappy with the Bush administration's war management. The president changed course, doubling down with the troop surge that eventually brought U.S. and civilian casualties down. Now Americans think a good outcome is plausible. Conditions could change, but public opinion tracks well with positive results on the ground.

Half of self-identified independents told Pew the U.S. should keep troops in Iraq until the situation stabilizes, putting key voters at odds with the withdrawal positions of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Both have refused to acknowledge improvements in Iraq, which gets politically riskier as time goes on. In an interview with The Politico, Brookings Institution analyst Michael O'Hanlon said the Democrats' posture, amid positive battlefield news, bolsters Republican nominee John McCain's call for maintaining a strong U.S. presence.

Indeed, even if Obama and Clinton don't concede it, the public's mood is changing, raising the possibility of a serious disconnect between them and everyday Americans on Iraq.