According to a poll carried out for The Washington Post and ABC news, more than nine out ten Americans believe the war is going well, while nearly half -- 47 percent -- of respondents felt it was going "very well", up 13 percentage points in a week.

Some 69 percent of respondents -- up from 53 percent when the war started -- said that going to war with Iraq was justified, even if the US-led forces fail to find any weapons of mass destruction.

At the same time, the number of people who expect the war to be long and bloody has dropped, with only 44 percent of respondents expecting the fighting to last months, down from 57 percent a week ago.

US President George W Bush's overall job approval rating now stands at 71 percent, its highest level since mid 2002, The Washington Post poll found.

Many of its findings were reflected in similar figures from a separate survey conducted by The Los Angeles Times.

"The survey found Americans experiencing the traditional rally-around-the-flag effect common when troops are first sent into battle," the paper said. "Optimism about the country's direction and support for President Bush both soared."

Among those backing the war, 60 percent said they would continue to do so even if it lasted more than a year, while 52 percent said they would not be swayed in their support even if the United States suffered more than 1,000 casualties.

Asked whether US military intervention in the region should be restricted just to Iraq, 50 percent said it should extend to Iran if the country continues in its efforts to develop nuclear weapons, while 36 percent disagreed.

Some 42 percent thought the United States should take military action against Syria, if Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's accusations that Damascus was providing military supplies to Iraq could be proven.

The poll also found the country split almost 50/50 as to whether the war will increase or diminish the threat of terrorism, a significant swing from the two-thirds of respondents who predicted more terror back in September.

Among the Los Angeles Times's figures, there were just two notes of caution for the Bush administration.

Only 29 percent of those questioned agreed with Washington's apparent focus on maximising US control of the rebuilding of post-war Iraq, while 50 percent thought that the United Nations should lead the reconstruction effort.

And while 85 percent of respondents said they would classify the war as a success if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein were captured or killed, that figure dropped to just 39 percent if he were to go into exile.

Only 11 percent said victory would have been attained if Saddam remained in power but was disarmed of his alleged weapons of mass destruction.

The Washington Post poll was conducted among 551 adults on Thursday night, with a margin of error in its results of plus or minus five percentage points.

The LA Times survey questioned 745 adults on Wednesday and Thursday, with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

SPACE.WIRE