Sixty-two percent of Americans said the U.S. made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, the poll showed, the first time that the pollster put the percentage above 60. More than 70 percent of those polled favored the withdrawal of almost all U.S. forces by April. One in five said the increase in U.S. forces ordered by Bush in January has improved the situation in Iraq, with half saying the deployment hasn't made a difference.

Bush's approval fell to a low of 29 percent, down from 33 percent in the equivalent poll last month.

The president is due to give a report to Congress on Iraq by July 15, and the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, will report in September on the whether the additional U.S. forces are improving security. Senators began two weeks of Iraq policy discussions yesterday.