Sunday, November 27, 2005
New Poll Shows Downies Losing The Battle Against the War in Iraq
The media has been telling us for months that 1) the Iraq war is very unpopular, that 2) President Bush's approval ratings "continue to fall" (which is an impossibility, considering they are at 35-40% since September), and that 3) Downies are set to make historic gains in next year's elections.
Nice story, if it were true. Unfortunately for the media, they forgot to consult with the American public - until now. A new poll shows that a majority of Americans now believe that the Downies and their "let's cut and run" formula for Iraq is bad for morale and is just plain wrong, and that the only reason they are using this strategy is for politics, not because they believe it.
Shucks, this has to hurt. Where is Howard Ducky Dean when you need him?
Sympathetic Vibrations
In short, the John Murtha/Howard Dean/Cindy Sheehan idea of "let's get out now!" is not very popular. How nice it would be if the entire disgusting American media, controlled by the anti-American left, would stop peddling the opposite message.
The media has been telling us for months that 1) the Iraq war is very unpopular, that 2) President Bush's approval ratings "continue to fall" (which is an impossibility, considering they are at 35-40% since September), and that 3) Downies are set to make historic gains in next year's elections.
Nice story, if it were true. Unfortunately for the media, they forgot to consult with the American public - until now. A new poll shows that a majority of Americans now believe that the Downies and their "let's cut and run" formula for Iraq is bad for morale and is just plain wrong, and that the only reason they are using this strategy is for politics, not because they believe it.
Shucks, this has to hurt. Where is Howard Ducky Dean when you need him?
Sympathetic Vibrations
Democrats fumed last week at Vice President Cheney's suggestion that criticism of the administration's war policies was itself becoming a hindrance to the war effort. But a new poll indicates most Americans are sympathetic to Cheney's point.
Seventy percent of people surveyed said that criticism of the war by Democratic senators hurts troop morale -- with 44 percent saying morale is hurt "a lot," according to a poll taken by RT Strategies. Even self-identified Democrats agree: 55 percent believe criticism hurts morale, while 21 percent say it helps morale.
The results surely will rankle many Democrats, who argue that it is patriotic and supportive of the troops to call attention to what they believe are deep flaws in President Bush's Iraq strategy. But the survey itself cannot be dismissed as a partisan attack. The RTs in RT Strategies are Thomas Riehle, a Democrat, and Lance Tarrance, a veteran GOP pollster.
Their poll also indicates many Americans are skeptical of Democratic complaints about the war. Just three of 10 adults accept that Democrats are leveling criticism because they believe this will help U.S. efforts in Iraq. A majority believes the motive is really to "gain a partisan political advantage."
This poll is one of the few pieces of supportive news the administration has had lately on Iraq. Most surveys have shown significant majorities believe it was a mistake to go to war, as well as rising sentiment that Bush misled Americans in making the case for it.
Even so, there is still support for Bush's policy going forward. A plurality, 49 percent, believe that troops should come home only when the Iraqi government can provide for its own security, while 16 percent support immediate withdrawal, regardless of the circumstances.
In short, the John Murtha/Howard Dean/Cindy Sheehan idea of "let's get out now!" is not very popular. How nice it would be if the entire disgusting American media, controlled by the anti-American left, would stop peddling the opposite message.
