because he’ll probably get them out of there, instead of getting them killed
I think Obama is generally more popular in every respect. He was here in Europe recently and said things like “let’s work together to overcome the crisis”. The first thing Bush said when he became president was “US business interests come first, so fuck the planet”. (not the exact words, but that’s how it sounded to the rest of us)
I am not so sure anything will really change, or that Obama is the messiah some imagine him to be. But at least he has a nicer attitude, which I think is what the troops see in him. And let’s face it, anyone that the Iraqis hate less than Bush makes life on the ground better for the occupation forces.