OTTAWA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- A landsliding majority of Canadians want their neighboring Americans to choose a Democrat as their next president in the 2008 election, a new poll suggests.

    The Decima Research surveyed 1,028 Canadians on Jan. 4-8 and found that 47 percent wanted a Democrat to replace current U.S. President George W. Bush in the White House in 2008, compared with just 12 percent who wanted a Republican. Forty-two percent did not offer an opinion.

    The Decima Research survey was provided to The Canadian Press on Wednesday as President Bush was releasing his new plan for the war in Iraq. The failed war effort has hurt the Republican president's popularity not only in the U.S. but also in Canada.

    "Disappointment with the Bush administration is running high in the U.S. and certainly in Canada as well," said Decima CEO Bruce Anderson.

    "The traditional tilt of Canadians toward the Democrats is more pronounced right now," he said.

    Canada's Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made improving relations with the White House a key part of its foreign policy.

    The survey also looked at the popularity of possible Democratic nominees. Former first lady Hillary Clinton was the most popular one, favored by 31 percent of respondents, followed by former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore at 16 percent, Illinois Senator Barak Obamaat 8 percent and John Edwards, the Senator from North Carolina, at6 percent.