Two Americans are watching TV when President George W. Bush is delivering his new Iraq strategy Wednesday. (Xinhua photo)

Most Americans oppose President George W. Bush's call to send additional U.S. military forces to Iraq and just over a third say the new plan makes victory there more likely, according to a poll published on Thursday.

The new Washington Post-ABC News poll, conducted following Bush's speech Wednesday night in which he announced his new Iraq strategy, found broad and strong opposition to his call to send about 21,500 more troops to Iraq.

Sixty-one percent opposed the force increase, with 52 percent "strongly" opposing the build-up, while only 36 percent supported the additional troops and one-quarter was strongly supportive.

Support for adding troops was somewhat higher among the 42 percent of Americans who tuned into Bush's speech, the poll found. Forty-seven percent of viewers thought the increase was a good idea, and the president's supporters were more likely than others to watch or listen to his remarks.

The tepid response to Bush's new initiative was due in part to the public's broad opposition to the war and its skepticism about Bush's handling of the situation, The Washington Post reported.

For more than two years majorities of Americans have said the Iraq war was not worth fighting, and by nearly a 2-1 margin Americans disapproved of Bush's leadership on the issue, the newspaper said.

In the new poll, 57 percent, a new high, said the United States was losing the war in Iraq.

In his address, Bush called the situation in Iraq "unacceptable," saying for the first time that previous policies were inadequate. He pitched the troop increase as essential to victory in Iraq and as a way to hasten the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces.

The poll was conducted by telephone Wednesday among 502 adults and had a 4.5-point error margin.

A USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday also showed similar opposition to Bush's plan to build up U.S. troops in Iraq.

Editor: Yan