War in Iraq Becomes Liability for Bush

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON (AP) -

Once his greatest political asset, President Bush's leadership of the war against terror is becoming a potential liability.

False prewar claims about Saddam Hussein's arsenal, mounting U.S. casualties and now the sickening images of prisoner abuse in Iraq threaten to turn Americans against the war - and against the self-professed "wartime president."

If the bad news continues through Election Day and Democratic rival John Kerry convinces voters he's a safe alternative - two big ifs - the incumbent could be at risk, experts say. Neither is a sure bet.

With newspapers and television screens filled with horrific pictures of prisoner abuse, Bush's approval rating is at the lowest of his presidency. Most voters are disappointed with the way things are going in the country. And, for the first time, Americans are divided on whether Bush or Kerry would better handle Iraq.

All bad signs for the commander in chief.

(snip)

Bush's ratings suffer with each flare-up in Iraq: The murder and mutilation of four U.S. contractors whose grisly death evoked memories of the failed 1993 U.S. mission in Somalia; congressional hearings into pre-Sept. 11 intelligence failures and whether the president failed to heed the warnings; and photos of flagged-draped coffins.

But nothing has changed the basic structure of the Bush-Kerry race: It's close.

more…
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-elect/2004/may/11/051107674.html

[robbedvoter]

1. Time to start a spanking new one (Dick Morris)

I am surprised it's in print.

[librechik]

2. Bozo the clown would be a "safe alternative" compared to Bush

tendency DOWN for our Christian Savior. (to Hell where Jesus would say he belongs)

[Catch22Dem]

3. I don't get it (WARNING - Offensive language follows)

How the FUCK this can still be a close race is a complete fucking mystery to me.

[Wright Patman]

6. Religious fundies

who believe along with * that he is God's chosen agent of vengeance on the "others" in the world, which now includes every nation but about three, at count, and one of them (U.K.) is wavering.

[Greylady]

10. And Racists

and people who are not critical thinkers.

[Hand]

11. Jeanene Garofalo had it right...

When she said on The Daily Show: "Supporting Bush is a personality disorder."

It's true--and there's been an epidemic of this disease... I kind of think, though, that at least some people are getting over it. It's really hard to admit that you've been wrong when you've been so wrong about so much for so long.

:mad:

[Catch22Dem]

13. Agreed

I think what she said was "a vote for Bush, now, is a character flaw." Unless we're talking about two separate things. Either way, I totally agree with you.

[evworldeditor]

27. The Disinformation Feedback Loop

A friend recently offered some inadvertent insight into why polls don't work. He said that pollsters ask people their opinions, which are formed by watching television news, which only reinforces the views of the network management and their political allies.

If you think the race is close, its because that's the impression that management wants to convey, which is what is repeated by viewers to pollsters, in a unending feedback loop of disinformation.

Neat huh?

Oh maybe I'm just paranoid.

[hippiegranny]

12. it's a close race

only if you wish it was. and the media wishes it. thus reports it that way. they are wrong.

[Crachet2004]

23. I have found one person only, who will admit to me they are voting

for Bush. One person I suspect of such behavior, but who does'nt have the guts to admit it, was told by me they should be ashamed of themselves...and they should!

Based on my ongoing in person polling, it is about 80/20, Kerry's favor. Nobody is voting for Nader the traitor. Many have already forgotten who he even is, and don't care what good he may have done in the past.

My personal research indicates that many people who respond favorably to Bush in polls, fear the Dept. of Homeland Defense will 'get them', if they say anything bad about the pResident; or don't want to sound unpatriotic to a stranger-possible agent of Homeland Defense-when the questions turn to the war in Iraq.

But even given the above considerations, for a poll to show this race as a dead heat, it has to be rigged. No way is this race a dead heat.

People are afraid and the polls are rigged, pure and simple.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

24. It's not close.

[Demonaut]

4. Duh! and we thought it would be a liabilty for dems!?

everything he touches turns to shit

[louis-t]

5. I still say the election will come down to

Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, and Iraq. It will be the one and only issue that matters.

[0007]

7. I think the Las Vegas Sun is drinking when they say

900,000 new jobs have been created.

[polmaven]

9. I doubt that figure too,

but if it is even anywhere near correct, it would be 900,000 AFTER the loss of 3,000,000...which still leaves a deficit of 2,100,000, no?

[Eurobabe]

17. I read 900,000 jobs drinking !! LOL

n/t

[0007]

22. Shills working as bar flies, 'eh?

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. "the incumbent could be at risk, experts say"

Two big ifs--- The sure bet is that it will only get much much worse.
There isn't any sign of improvement, in fact it has been getting worse lately.

[sendero]

14. If they were any more equivocal...

... they'd be saying nothing. I've rarely seen such a high density of weasel words. Whoever wrote it should go into politics, s/he's certainly no analyst.

[Nashyra]

18. This country is polarized

The lowest the * job approval rating will go is probably 43%. The repukes will stick to this asshole because they feel the need to "stick with the party", though I do feel that many more will change their minds at the ballot box. I think that we need to start expressing the fact that it makes no difference who the challenger is at this point for the sake of the country we need a change. It is a less abrasive ABB, why less abrasive? were trying to reel in the swing voter. In order to restore order and confidence we need a change, so that our allies are willing to take a chance on America. Our allies right now will not risk their own political futures tied to this US resident, right or wrong(that is doublespeak political talk) sometime you have no choice but to start with a clean slate for the good of the country. I have been trying to sell this idea that even though the * thought he was doing the right thing he got hijacked by the ultra right wing of the party, and to bad that the repukes don't have a different candidate for NOV. I have more repukes agree with me with that line. I then refer them to the article in fortune magazine that was posted here on how a conservative columist tells them that voting for Kerry will protect their money. Inevitably they claim that "oh well at least Kerry will have a repuke congress and senate, maybe voting for Kerry wouldn't be such a bad idea". I just agree, not such a bad idea. Then I walk away with disgust and pretend that I have not actually had to waste my time with such a selfish and stupid individual, but hey 1 vote at a time, I guess I will just have to shower many times a day to remove the slime I feel after having to pretend to say a decent word about the *. It does work though.

[sundancekid]

15. *b made Iraq his "last stand" and so it will be ... polls trail about 10

days behind any of the "hair on fire" stories in the media because it takes 5 to 10 days for all impacts to "settle in" and work their way through to flash point when folks are polled ... most people work for a living, they are NOT glued to 24/7 chatter classes from the media.

[ixion]

16. And Bush has become a MASSIVE liability for the US

He and his band of thugs are destroying this countries reputation worldwide. :-(

[4_Legs_Good]

19. I find it ironic that when I was out protesting the war...

I was actually, in a strange quirk of fate, working for his re-election.

Gawd what a mess this has all turned out to be. It would have been worth a 2nd term to stop it all, though.

david

[Danieljay]

20. umm...like duh!? n/t

[dusty64]

21. This should have always

been a liability for the chimp, if the fucking media whores had done their jobs and told the truth instead of propaganda lies. How many have died thanks to them? When the new Bastille Day comes along I hope they aren't forgotten.

[duvinnie]

25. also a liability for Iraqi civilians btw n/t

[are_we_united_yet]

26. It's close but it shouldn't be.

Bush should be trailing "also ran"