As Hollywood is presenting its anti-war films and Democrats are pushing their defeatist agenda, the public has a different tune. 54% of Americans say the war in Iraq isn’t lost.

A majority of Americans – 54% – believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq, but there is dramatic disagreement on the question between Democrats and Republicans, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same.

While only 9% of Republicans stray to the other side on this issue, 33% – 1/3 – of Democrats believe we can win the war. Democrats have a dead-lock on trust to end the war, right? Wrong.

As Democratic and Republican presidential candidates gear up for upcoming state primaries and caucuses, Americans are split over which party, if elected, would be more likely to bring the war to a successful conclusion – 39% believe a Republican president would be more likely to bring a positive end to the war, while nearly as many – 36% – feel the same about a Democratic president. Another 17% said neither party would be likely to successfully end the war.

Perhaps Congress should keep that in mind in the coming days. Meanwhile, the plan to stay in Iraq longer, has picked up an unpredictable endorsement: The US Institute of Peace.

In a report to be released Sunday, a panel of experts assembled by the U.S. Institute of Peace calls for a 50 percent reduction in U.S. forces in Iraq within three years and a total withdrawal and handover of security to the Iraqi military in five years.

3-5 years? Democrats are measuring full departure in months. Panelists included some who advised the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group.

H/t Purple Avenger.