Poll: Obama's Ratings on Afghanistan Drop
DeKalb County police say two people were fatally shot at a funeral on Thursday. The funeral was being held for Ryan Guider (left, top left corner). Marcus Ventress (right, top left corner) was wanted for Guider's murder. / WGCL
The public remains negative about U.S. progress in Afghanistan. As they have for months, most Americans say the war there is going badly, according to a CBS News poll released Tuesday.
Four in 10 now say they want U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan decreased, a percentage which has been rising since the beginning of 2009. In addition, President Obama's approval rating on handling Afghanistan has dropped eight points since April.
Critics of the Obama administration - most notably former Vice President Dick Cheney - have attacked Attorney General Eric Holder's appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the interrogation techniques of CIA officials during the Bush administration. Half of the American public, however, say the investigation is a good idea.
President Obama and the Afghan War
Less than half (48 percent) of those questioned now say they approve of President Obama's handling of the situation in Afghanistan, down from 56 percent in April. While a majority of Democrats still approve, just 31 percent of Republicans agree.
Fifty-two percent of Americans say the war in Afghanistan is going at least somewhat badly for the United States, and just 37 percent say it is going well.
This has changed little over the past few months, though Americans are more positive than they were last December, when 62 percent of those asked said the war was going badly.
Support for increasing U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan is declining, and more Americans would like to see the number of U.S. troops in the country decreased. Forty-one percent say they want American troops to start coming home, up from 33 percent in April and just 24 percent in February. Support for increasing the number of troops dropped from 39 percent in April to just 25 percent now.
The poll results are at odds with what NATO and U.S. commanders on the ground say they need. Military and civilian sources say top U.S. commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal is for the Afghan war later this year.
Appointing a Special Prosecutor
According to the poll results, half of the public believes the Justice Department's appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate interrogation tactics used by the CIA is a good idea. Just 38 percent say it is a bad idea.
Views of this issue divide along party and ideological lines. Democrats and liberals support the appointment, while Republicans and conservatives agree with Former Vice President Cheney and say it was a bad idea.
Political Hotsheet: Cheney vs. The White House
Moderates and independents are more divided, though both groups tend to agree more with the investigation.
PDF: Read the Complete Poll
See Also -- Poll: Two-Thirds Confused by Health Reform
This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. Four in 10 now say they want U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan decreased, a percentage which has been rising since the beginning of 2009. In addition, President Obama's approval rating on handling Afghanistan has dropped eight points since April.
Critics of the Obama administration - most notably former Vice President Dick Cheney - have attacked Attorney General Eric Holder's appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the interrogation techniques of CIA officials during the Bush administration. Half of the American public, however, say the investigation is a good idea.
President Obama and the Afghan War
Less than half (48 percent) of those questioned now say they approve of President Obama's handling of the situation in Afghanistan, down from 56 percent in April. While a majority of Democrats still approve, just 31 percent of Republicans agree.
Fifty-two percent of Americans say the war in Afghanistan is going at least somewhat badly for the United States, and just 37 percent say it is going well.
This has changed little over the past few months, though Americans are more positive than they were last December, when 62 percent of those asked said the war was going badly.
Support for increasing U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan is declining, and more Americans would like to see the number of U.S. troops in the country decreased. Forty-one percent say they want American troops to start coming home, up from 33 percent in April and just 24 percent in February. Support for increasing the number of troops dropped from 39 percent in April to just 25 percent now.
The poll results are at odds with what NATO and U.S. commanders on the ground say they need. Military and civilian sources say top U.S. commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal is for the Afghan war later this year.
Appointing a Special Prosecutor
According to the poll results, half of the public believes the Justice Department's appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate interrogation tactics used by the CIA is a good idea. Just 38 percent say it is a bad idea.
Views of this issue divide along party and ideological lines. Democrats and liberals support the appointment, while Republicans and conservatives agree with Former Vice President Cheney and say it was a bad idea.
Political Hotsheet: Cheney vs. The White House
Moderates and independents are more divided, though both groups tend to agree more with the investigation.
PDF: Read the Complete Poll
See Also -- Poll: Two-Thirds Confused by Health Reform
This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
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Who do you like better
1. Barrack Obama
2. Bernie Madoff
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatocracy
"Corporatocracy or Corpocracy is a form of government where a corporation, a group of corporations, or government entities with private components, control the direction and governance of a country.
This belief is reinforced by two factors. First, corporations give to competing political parties and major political party candidates. This is seen as a corporation hedging their bets on the outcome of an election, and trying to get on the good side of whichever candidate is elected into office. Some say this is one of the hallmarks of a corporatocracy. Second, in many cases former corporate executives serve as powerful decision makers within government institutions often charged with the regulation of their former employers. Meanwhile, former government employees often accept high ranking positions within corporations thereby providing their new employers with access to governmental decision makers. This serves to create the appearance of a revolving door between corporations and the institutions established to regulate their behavior.
There are currently no governments designated by any governmental as a corporatocracy. Political progressives, however, have criticized governments for being de facto corporatocracies. Because governments tend to obscure the degree to which corporate interests are entangled in their affairs, an objective standard for declaring a government a corporatocracy is difficult. However many Western governments based on a capitalist system have been accused of being corporatocracies. Many corporations contribute abundantly to political candidates and causes. This creates a dependency of the politician on the corporation - in order to keep his power and wealth (i.e. continue receiving support for re-election bids), he might be obliged to "pay back" to the corporation using his political influence."
Since Democrats and non-partisans such as myself graciously awarded them the House, Senate, and Presidency I have been aghast as I watched the Democrats act, and vote, almost identically to the Republicans. From illegal rendition, to secret prisons and torture, to giving away trillions of dollars to billionaires, to endless war, to denying the people universal health care, there is now almost no tangible difference between the Republicans and Democrats.
So today, after 25 years as a registered non-partisan voter, I changed my affiliation to The Green Party. It is time that the American people take a firm stand against all those who have turned this great nation into just another third world banana republic, and after much research and soul searching I believe The Green Party is our best hope.
So if you think the Republicans and Democrats are doing a good job, and you like the results of their rule, then by all means stay with them.
If, on the other hand, you feel as betrayed as I do then abandon them, and at least try something else. Otherwise, I promise you, nothing is ever going to change.
ST
"The Republican and Democratic parties have delivered us into the hands of darkness."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave
Anybody?
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