The Burning Bush

‘IT is one of those bizarre twists of logic that President Bush’s approval ratings with the American people should have peaked just after 9/11.

‘I have everything under control…’

The prime responsibility of any government is to defend its country from attack, yet Bush’s failure to do so (and his wobble in the immediate aftermath) is rewarded with poll figures of over 90%.

Go figure, as they like to say on the other side of the Atlantic.

However, as the graphic on the front of this morning’s Independent shows, the President’s approval rating has been on the slide ever since.

And now for the first time since he took office, more people disapprove of his performance than approve.

Public opinion is even turning against the Iraq war, despite the constant lies the American people have been fed about Saddam Hussein’s involvement in 9/11.

Only 47% think it a war worth fighting (compared with 52% who don’t) and a similar number think Bush will do a better job combating terrorism than his Democratic challenger John Kerry (who is a percentage point ahead).

The happy news for the majority of America who voted for Al Gore in 2000, as well as the rest of the world, is that Bush is now eight points behind Kerry in the polls.

Kerry is seen as much more trustworthy than Bush (by a margin of 52% to 39%) and as much more understanding of the problems of the ordinary American (by a margin of 56% to 36%).

What is more, the overwhelming majority of the American people believe that Kerry can remain conscious throughout the whole process of chewing and swallowing a pretzel.’

Posted: 23rd, June 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink