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The latest polling data brings some good news for George W!
While it’s true that Bush’s public approval rating has hit a new low, tumbling to only 29 percent, the good news is that at least he ranks ahead of Dick Cheney. Poor ol’ “Buckshot” – who recently declared himself to be the fourth branch of government – is now down to a mere 13 percent of the people who have a favorable impression of him. With this achievement, Cheney has edged out Dan Quayle as America’s most unpopular vice president.
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Bush and Cheney have gotten these polling numbers the old-fashioned way: they earned them. First and foremost is their disastrous war performance. Based on lies and pursued with incompetence, their Iraq policy has squandered American lives, treasury, and reputation – and 62 percent of Americans now say it was a mistake for the U.S. to send our troops to Iraq. As forBush’s recent “surge” strategy, 76 percent of the public says it has made the dire situation worse or made no real difference.
Then there’s the Bushites’ elitist economics policies. Fifty-nine percent say Bush has made it harder for the working class to get ahead, 60 percent say the economy has gotten worse under the Bush/Cheney regime, and – especially damning – 55 percent believe he has lessened the opportunity for the next generation of Americans to live better than their parents.
Of course as executive authoritarians, Bush and Cheney don’t care what people think. Indeed, White House PR flack Tony Fratto dismissed the latest polls as nothing but “fun, self-generating news hooks.”
Fun? Here’s some news for Bush – public approval numbers plummeting toward single digits aren’t fun – they’re a mark of abject presidential failure. But here’s a fun number that you might enjoy: It’s only 17 months before W and Buckshot are gone.
“The Polls,” The New York Times, July 10, 2007
“Anti-war iews on Iraq rise to record,” USA Today, July 10, 2007
“USA Today Gallup Pol, ” USA Today, July 10, 2007