Pollster shows Biden winning Afghanistan debate -- and most pro-war arguments are 'only marginally persuasive'

On Monday, POLITICO reported that, despite weeks of critical coverage of the Afghanistan withdrawal, surveys indicate President Joe Biden's stance on ending the war is still winning the day.

"The C|T Group, an international consulting firm, sent one-sentence arguments to people in the United States, Britain and Australia, both in favor of and against President Joe Biden's pullout decision," said the report. "They found that pro-withdrawal lines drove more people to support leaving Afghanistan, whereas statements that backed remaining in the country weren't as convincing."

The poll found that the most effective arguments revolved around keeping some troops to protect Afghans from the Taliban or making the withdrawal more gradual so the exit wasn't as chaotic.

All the same, the poll determined that "the vast majority of prolong-the-fight takes didn't stick or were, at best, only marginally persuasive."

"Our data shows that the Biden administration, the messaging it's doing, is reaching an audience and is making an impact," said Price Floyd, the campaign and communications director of the C|T Group.

Driven by initial reports of botched organization and harrowing images of Afghan civilians clinging to U.S. military planes at takeoff, the first days of the Afghanistan withdrawal drew intense scrutiny and criticism. However, the media has also received criticism from analysts and Biden supporters who say they are oversimplifying the conflict and overlooking the overall success of the operation, in getting more than 100,000 people out of the country on both military and civilian aircraft in a matter of weeks.