A growing number of Americans want to replace US President George W. Bush with Democratic presidential candidate General Wesley Clark, according to an opinion poll published today.
Gen Clark, who commanded NATO forces during the Kosovo war, was favourite among 43 per cent of voters, compared to 47 per cent who preferred Mr Bush.
But with an error margin of 4 per cent, the poll in Newsweekmagazine means the two men have reached a statistical dead heat for the first time.
Gen Clark, a retired four-star general, entered the presidential race last month and is the front-runner among nine Democrats hoping to take the White House next year.
The Vietnam veteran has publicly spoken out against the war in Iraq, describing it as a strategic mistake.
Half of registered voters quizzed for the poll said they did not want to see Mr Bush re-elected next year, although 44 per cent said they would like to see him serve another four years in office.
The poll comes amid growing disquiet in America about the policy on Iraq. Senator Joseph Biden, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said there had been "no clear articulation" on the Bush administration's goals in Iraq.
The Delaware senator said: "I just did not count on the fact that it would be handled with such a degree of incompetence subsequent to the, quote, military victory."
Despite this, a majority of Americans polled (55 per cent) believe the US did the right thing by going to war in Iraq.
On the issue of weapons of mass destruction, 49 per cent said pre-war intelligence was not analysed properly, while 45 per cent believed the Bush administration deliberately misled the country.
Princeton Research Associates conducted the poll among 1,004 adults on October 9th and 10th.
AP