WASHINGTON — American attitudes toward the war in Iraq continue to sour in the wake of last week’s surge in U.S. troop deaths, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. (Related: Poll results)

An unprecedented 57% majority say the war has made the USA more vulnerable to terrorism. A new low, 34%, say it has made the country safer. The question is critical because the Bush administration has long argued that the invasion of Iraq was undertaken to make the USA safer from terrorism.

The poll of 1,004 adults, taken Friday through Sunday, also finds that one in three say the United States should withdraw all troops from Iraq — another new high. The proportion that support maintaining troop levels or sending more troops also rose a bit, to 41%. The survey’s margin of error is +/—3 percentage points.