The new Financial Dynamics poll (.pdf) commissioned by The Hotline and Diageo, and as always it has some interesting information. Perhaps the most interesting data concerns two slightly differently worded questions regarding the proposed increase American troops being sent to Iraq. One half of the poll's respondents were asked if they supported "President Bush's" proposal to increase troops while the other half were asked if they supported "John McCain's" proposal. The results may surprise you as they did me.

Do you favor or oppose President Bush's proposed strategy of increasing the number of American troops in Iraq by as many as 20,000 troops over then next few months? TotalRepublicansIndependentsDemocratsStrongly favor1731233Somewhat favor1526127Somewhat oppose910127Strongly oppose53254979Neither favor nor oppose (not read)4632Don't know/refused (not read)2211
Do you favor or oppose Senator John McCain's proposed strategy of increasing the number of American troops in Iraq by as many as 20,000 troops over then next few months? TotalRepublicansIndependentsDemocratsStrongly favor2134249Somewhat favor163269Somewhat oppose109157Strongly oppose44163470Neither favor nor oppose (not read)44101Don't know/refused (not read)66104

As you can see, calling the increase in troops McCain's plan rather than Bush's leads to a slightly higher level of support, but also a higher level of indecisiveness among respondents. But the far more important statistic that jumps out from this comparison is support among Independents, who are thought to be McCain's bread and butter demographic.

Independents are actually less likely to support escalation if it is framed as McCain doctrine than they are if it is framed as President Bush's. They are the only partisan group to do so. Even Democrats are slightly more likely to support the increase in troops if it is listed as McCain's plan than they are if it is listed as Bush's. True, as I noted above, there is also a higher level of indecisiveness, both broadly and among Independents specifically, about "McCain's" plan than there is about "Bush's". In part, this can be chalked up to the fact that the President has received more coverage for supporting the plan than the Arizona Senator. Additionally, the fact that Americans' sentiments about Sen. McCain are less solidified than they are about the President plays a role in this. As a result, the level of opposition to a McCain plan for escalation is lower than that of a Bush plan.

All the same, the fact remains that, at least according to this survey, Independents are less likely to support a McCain-backed escalation than they are a Bush-backed one -- a stunning fact given the President's dearth of support among Independents and the Senator's one-time strength among them. In case you needed confirmation that the number of Independents supporting John McCain is decreasing rapidly, this may be it.