Poll: Bush Gets Terror Boost, But...
The dismantling of the London terror plot hasn't helped President Bush with U.S. voters, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll.
The survey shows that while the president received a modest boost for his handling of terrorism (55 percent approve) in the wake of the plot, concerns about Iraq, the economy and the Mideast neutralized that advantage. As a result, Mr. Bush's approval rating remained at 36 percent.
That number was unchanged from last week and from a poll conducted in July, before the latest terrorist-related arrests in Great Britain. For most of this year, Mr. Bush's approval rating has hovered in the mid 30s.
The survey also suggests that the partisan divide has grown a bit wider in recent months. The president's approval rating among Republicans has risen slightly, from 68 percent in April to 74 percent now. But only about three in 10 independents approve of the job Mr. Bush is doing, as do less than one in 10 Democrats.
Both terrorism (24 percent) and the war in Iraq (22 percent) are at the top of Americans' list of the priorities they would most like to see addressed.
And the president's approval rating on terrorism, historically his strongest suit, has risen in this poll, to 55 percent now, up from 51 percent earlier in August. This is the highest it has been since July 2005.
While he gets credit for dealing with terrorism, Mr. Bush is still hampered by low approval ratings on one of the most important issues of the day, the war in Iraq.
Only three in 10 Americans approve of how he is handling the war, and more than twice as many -– 65 percent -- disapprove. Since early this year, only about three in 10 Americans have approved of the president's handling of Iraq.
Many Americans don't see a link between the war in Iraq and the war on terror, which may help to explain the very different ratings the president receives on the two issues.
When asked if the war in Iraq was part of a general war on terror, 51 percent of Americans say it is not – matching the largest percentage since the question was first asked in 2003. Forty-four percent say it is part of the war on terror, including 32 percent who say it is a major part.
Almost half of all Americans – 46 percent - believe the Bush administration has focused too much on Iraq over the last couple of years and not enough on terrorism elsewhere in the world, the highest number since CBS started asking the question a year ago.
The president's approval rating is also being held down by voter dissatisfaction with the economy. Only 35 percent have a favorable view of his economic stewardship.
Americans are also clearly pessimistic when assessing the direction the country is going in as a whole. Now 67 percent of all Americans think the country is off on the wrong track, while just 29 percent think the country is going in the right direction.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. The survey shows that while the president received a modest boost for his handling of terrorism (55 percent approve) in the wake of the plot, concerns about Iraq, the economy and the Mideast neutralized that advantage. As a result, Mr. Bush's approval rating remained at 36 percent.
That number was unchanged from last week and from a poll conducted in July, before the latest terrorist-related arrests in Great Britain. For most of this year, Mr. Bush's approval rating has hovered in the mid 30s.
The survey also suggests that the partisan divide has grown a bit wider in recent months. The president's approval rating among Republicans has risen slightly, from 68 percent in April to 74 percent now. But only about three in 10 independents approve of the job Mr. Bush is doing, as do less than one in 10 Democrats.
Both terrorism (24 percent) and the war in Iraq (22 percent) are at the top of Americans' list of the priorities they would most like to see addressed.
And the president's approval rating on terrorism, historically his strongest suit, has risen in this poll, to 55 percent now, up from 51 percent earlier in August. This is the highest it has been since July 2005.
While he gets credit for dealing with terrorism, Mr. Bush is still hampered by low approval ratings on one of the most important issues of the day, the war in Iraq.
Only three in 10 Americans approve of how he is handling the war, and more than twice as many -– 65 percent -- disapprove. Since early this year, only about three in 10 Americans have approved of the president's handling of Iraq.
Many Americans don't see a link between the war in Iraq and the war on terror, which may help to explain the very different ratings the president receives on the two issues.
When asked if the war in Iraq was part of a general war on terror, 51 percent of Americans say it is not – matching the largest percentage since the question was first asked in 2003. Forty-four percent say it is part of the war on terror, including 32 percent who say it is a major part.
Almost half of all Americans – 46 percent - believe the Bush administration has focused too much on Iraq over the last couple of years and not enough on terrorism elsewhere in the world, the highest number since CBS started asking the question a year ago.
The president's approval rating is also being held down by voter dissatisfaction with the economy. Only 35 percent have a favorable view of his economic stewardship.
Americans are also clearly pessimistic when assessing the direction the country is going in as a whole. Now 67 percent of all Americans think the country is off on the wrong track, while just 29 percent think the country is going in the right direction.
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As for Osama bin Laden, they don't want to capture him. Who would they have to blame for their lies? The fighting would still go on.
Besides the bin Laden family is close friends with the bush family.
There should be an international law requiring that no leader can take his country to war unless his/her children/close relatives (at least three at all time) also are on the battleground (frontline). If one dies, the leader sends another one in replacement; if he does not have any relative left, then war is over. Not so childish given the madness you are living.
When wars erupt, leaders are the first ones to dash toward the first bunker and their undisclosed locations while populations remain exposed to bombs; don%u2019t tell me that preserving their lives is the only way for the earth to keep revolving on its axis! It also is so easy to say, "I will not back down' when you are thousand miles away from where the bombs rain and watch without incurring any harm. Give me a break!
"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
- G.W. Bush, 9/13/01
"I want justice...There's an old poster out West, as I recall, that said, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive,'"
- G.W. Bush, 9/17/01, UPI
"...Secondly, he is not escaping us. This is a guy, who, three months ago, was in control of a county [sic]. Now he's maybe in control of a cave. He's on the run. Listen, a while ago I said to the American people, our objective is more than bin Laden. But one of the things for certain is we're going to get him running and keep him running, and bring him to justice. And that's what's happening. He's on the run, if he's running at all. So we don't know whether he's in cave with the door shut, or a cave with the door open -- we just don't know...."
- Bush, in remarks in a Press Availablity with the Press Travel Pool,
The Prairie Chapel Ranch, Crawford TX, 12/28/01, as reported on
official White House site
"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."
- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02
"I am truly not that concerned about him."
- G.W. Bush, repsonding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts,
3/13/02 (The New American, 4/8/02)
I want to comment on the recall of thousands of Marines. I feel this way:
Even though our military is all volunteer, they shouldn't be placed carelessly in harm's way for a bloody, useless war that is being fought not for the protection of America, but for oil, war profiteering, & power/personal gain of Bush/Cheney (& individuals within their adm. & the Carlye Group).
Something else to think about:
We have been told by Bush/Cheney that our involvement in Iraq is the greatest struggle this nation has faced in decades,& that this war is vital & necessary for the peace & security of the Mid. East & the US. Bush/Cheney have told us that sacrifices in this war must be made to make the world safer.
If Bush/Cheney truly believe this (& their statements/speeches/actions clearly indicate they do), I must ask them:
Where is their personal sacrifice? Why aren't their children serving in the military? Why aren't their children in Iraq or some other type of militery support capacity in the Mid. East?
Bush/Cheney has asked thousands of American families to sacrifice their sons, daughters, husbands & wives. But where is their sacrifice to lay upon the altar for this ctusade?