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 Greetings! You are reading an article from The Mudville Gazette. To reach the front page, with all the latest news and views, click the logo above or "main" below. Thanks for stopping by! November 24, 2005 Pols and PollsBy GreyhawkHeartburn for some this Thanksgiving as the Wall Street Journal, under the headline "Bush's Approval Rating Falls Again, Poll Shows" details recent Harris Poll results - and the latest bad news for the administration. Bush's current job approval rating stands at 34%, compared with a positive rating of 88% soon after 9/11, 50% at this time last year, and 40% in August.That certainly is cause for concern. But those numbers could go lower - and if they fall a lot lower he'll have the same approval rating as the congressional Democrats: At the same time, only a quarter of Americans polled give Democrats a positive rating in the latest poll.Yep - another 9 percent fall and the President will be as low as his opponents, who now have positive ratings from only 25% of Americans. In fact, 34% is the highest approval rating they've had this year, and the last time they broke briefly above 40% was June 2003. So they likely all have indigestion this Thanksgiving. For the record, polls don't mean much to me. And most of the Democrats' problems seem to be related to chasing those numbers*. In fact, we're probably seeing early indicators of how their recent call for surrender resonates with those Americans who think the war in Iraq is not going well. But it's foolish to accept those sorts of raw numbers without additional details. * Conversely, most of the Republican's problems can be attributed to ignoring public opinion. (Hat tip: Rich Casebolt) Posted by Greyhawk / November 24, 2005 5:51 PM | Permalink 13 Comments |
November 26, 2010America@war [Greyhawk]
I think anyone who's ever pondered the "comment" option - once only available on blogs and bulletin boards, now ubiquitous on almost any web site - will appreciate this:
The so-called faculty of writing is not so much a faculty of writing as it is a faculty of thinking. When a man says, "I have an idea but I can't express it"; that man hasn't an idea but merely a vague feeling. If a man has a feeling of that kind, and will sit down for a half an hour and persistently try to put into writing what he feels, the probabilities are at least 90 percent that he will either be able to record it, or else realize that he has no idea at all. In either case, he will do himself a benefit. That's wisdom from the past, captured for posterity at the US Naval Institute, shared via the web on the institute's 137th anniversary. From their about page:
"The Naval Institute has three core activities," among them, History and Preservation: The Naval Institute also has recently introduced Americans at War, a living history of Americans at war in their own words and from their own experiences. These 90-second vignettes convey powerful stories of inspiration, pride, and patriotism. Take a look at the collection, and you'll see it's not limited to accounts from those who served on ships at sea, members of the other branches are well-represented. I'm fortunate to have met USNI's Mary Ripley, she's responsible for the institute's oral history program (and she's the daughter of the late John Ripley, whose story is told here). She also deserves much credit for their blog. ("We're not the Navy nor any government agency. Blog and comment freely.") We met at a milblog conference - Mary knew (and I would come to realize) that milbloggers are the 21st-century version of exactly what the US Naval Institute is all about. Once that light bulb came on in my head, I mentioned a vague idea for a project to her - milblogs as the 21st century oral history that they are. "Put that in writing," she said (of course - see first paragraph above!) - and here's part of the result. Shortly after the first tent was pitched by the American military in Iraq a wire was connected to a computer therein, and the internet was available to a generation of Americans at war - many of whom had grown up online. From that point on, at any given moment, somewhere in Iraq a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine was at a keyboard sharing the events of his or her day with the folks back home. While most would simply fire off an email, others took advantage of the (then) relatively new online blogging platforms to post their thoughts and experiences for the entire world to see. The milblog was born - and from that moment to this stories detailing everything from the most mundane aspects of camp life to intense combat action (often described within hours of the event) have been available on the web... And et cetera - but since you're reading this on a milblog, you probably knew that. And you know that milblogs aren't just blogs written by troops at war, that many friends, family members, and supporters likewise documented their story of America at war online in near-real time, as those stories developed. The diversity in membership of that group is broad, the one thing we all have in common is the impulse to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and communicate the tale - for each of us that impulse was strong enough to overcome whatever barriers prevent the vast majority of people from doing the same. Everyone at some point has some vague idea they believe should be shared - we were the people who, from some combination of internal and external urging, found and spent those many half hours persistently trying to write it down. But where will all that be in another 137 years? Or five or ten, for that matter. That's something I've asked myself since at least 2004 - when I wrote this:
Membership in the ghost battalion has grown in the years since, and an ever growing majority of those abandoned-but-still-standing sites are vanishing. Have you checked out Lt Smash's site lately? How about Sgt Hook's? If you're a long-time milblog reader you know the first widely-read milblog from Operation Iraq Freedom and the first widely-read milblog from Afghanistan are both gone from the web. If you're a relative newcomer to this world you may never even have heard of them - or the dozens upon dozens of others who carried forth the standard they set down. If you have a vague notion that something should be done about that, (a notion I've heard expressed more than once...) then you and I and the good folks at the US Naval Institute are in agreement. Preserving the history documented by the milbloggers is just one of the goals of the milblog project, the once-vague idea that we're now making real. And it's a big idea, if I say so myself - too big to explain in one simple blog post, so stand by for more. Likewise, it's too big a task to be accomplished by just one person. So if you're a milblogger (and exactly what is a milblogger? is a topic for much further discussion on its own) I'm asking for your help. All I'll really need is just a little bit (maybe just one or two of those half hours...) of your time, and your willingness to tell the tale. We've already made history, it's time to save it. (More to follow...) Posted 4:02 PM | Permalink |
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The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
 
 
 Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house. I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email. Original content copyright © 2003 - 2011 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed. Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com  Tending Distant Far from hearth and home, watching What tales we'll tell When things grim Some distant sunset, vision fading Saluting fallen friends whose names - Greyhawk, Baghdad, December 2004 |
Bush 34, Dems 25 is an argument I made when this came out. Good to see others agree. That leaves 41 ticked with both sides. A reform effort could gain mo
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thinnk of GW's numbers this way. After a year of unrelenting and unanswered attacks upon his character, his policies and his intelligence, the Democrats STILL have not politically finished him, or his policies.
GW hasn't taken credit for the economy.
GW hasn't explained the wild oscillation of gas prices.
GW hasn't defended his war policies, {until the last few days, that is}.
GW's attempt to reform Social Security fell apart.
And after all of these UNanswered attacks, he is still in a position to rebound nicely.
The Murtha episode is almost a Godsend. Murtha's statements exposed that the dryrot in their party runs deep, and no one is immune, not even former service members, not even former Marines.
No policy is as easy to articulate and defend as the President's decision to take down Saddam. And once the President begins to answer, begins to make his case once more to the American people, his numbers should swing sharply upwards. And once that happens, the Democrats are REALLY going to go ballistic. The GOP should see these poll numbers, and the ceaseless attacks upon the VP and the President, not as a crisis, not as an excuse to adopt some misguided bunker like approach. Rather we should see them as what they are, an OPPORTUNITY to expose ONCE AND FOR ALL, that the Democrats are a party that cannot be trusted.
Bunk.
Rasmussen (who came the closest in Nov., '04) shows Bush at 46%.
http://rasmussenreports.com/
Of course, then there's always the Minister of Torture
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.cheney25nov25,1,471707.story?coll=bal-home-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true
42% view Chimpo as "honest and ethical" (vs. 58% who presumably do not), while 29% have the same view of the Minister of Torture. Of course, the Jawohl! crowd here just loves him. Why, the man is a wingnut's dream come true. Especially the part about making films of Iraqi translators raping teenage boys. You know those rape rooms that reopened under American management? Yeah, those rape rooms.
Wilson -- your consistent reporting of only half the story re: polls is more evidence of your own LYING than anything that "showed" the President lied about WMD.
And be careful about presuming ... it can bite you in the butt. For instance, how many of those you "presume" disapprove of Bush's ethics and honesty would do the same for ANY politician?
Face it ... as low as the President's approval numbers are (thanks to the irresponsible half-truths spread by people from the MSM to yourself) ... the approval numbers of the alternative to his leadership are lower.
We aren't fooled by the likes of you ... we won't be fooled again.
Speaking of good news, Rich, did you see the latest in The Wall Street Journal about the Abrahamoff scandal and the Republicans? By the time that one's finished, there will be dozens if not hundreds of your kind in the federal pen.
http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB113288941007506390.html
Excerpt:
WASHINGTON -- A Justice Department investigation into possible influence-peddling by prominent Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff is examining his dealings with four lawmakers, more than a dozen current and former congressional aides and two former Bush administration officials, according to lawyers and others involved in the case.
Investigators want to know whether Mr. Abramoff and his lobbying firm partners made illegal payoffs to lawmakers and aides in the form of campaign contributions, sports tickets, meals, travel and job offers, in exchange for helping their clients.
The Justice Department's probe is far broader than previously thought. Though it remains smaller than the congressional influence-peddling scandals of the 1970s, its focus on prominent Republicans raises the risk of serious embarrassment to the party before next year's congressional elections. Those involved in Mr. Abramoff's case say that the Justice Department investigation could take years to complete.
Prosecutors in the department's public integrity and fraud divisions -- separate units that report to the assistant attorney general for the criminal division -- are looking into Mr. Abramoff's interactions with former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, Rep. Bob Ney (R., Ohio), Rep. John Doolittle (R., Calif.) and Sen. Conrad Burns (R., Mont.), according to several people close to the investigation. Messrs. DeLay and Ney have retained criminal defense lawyers. Spokespeople for Messrs. Doolittle and Burns said they haven't hired lawyers.
Who knows, maybe someday we'll find out more about the funding of and true identities of the so-called milbloggers.
testing, testing, testing ...
Speaking of good news, Rich, have you seen the latest from The Wall Street Journal about the Abrhamoff scandal. So let's see, here's what we've got:
1. Bush has been busted for lying about Iraq.
2. Cheney's top aide hasa been busted in the spy scandal, and there's more on the way.
3. Delay has been busted for campaign finance fraud, and oh by the way there are recent reports that his problems could go FAR deeper, as in murder, anyone?
4. National Republican bribery ring about to be exposed.
Wow, I'd say times are getting ripe for another Clinton to be elected to the White House. America's first presidentrix.
Glad you're reading the WSJ, Wilson ... maybe now you'll tell us the WHOLE story on the polls.
1. Bush has been busted for lying about Iraq.
Not unelss a whole bunnch of the Democratic leadership is busted with him ... along with members of the former Administration, the King of Jordan, the President of Egypt, and a number of other international leaders.
BUSH LIED -- just another conspiracy theory, with a cast of thousands.
2. Cheney's top aide hasa been busted in the spy scandal, and there's more on the way.
Only for lying, "Joe" ... not for outing Ms Plame. And, recent developments involving Bob Woodward may embarrass "Elliot Ness" Fitzgerald (a guy I do admire somewhat for his past work), and make this case fall apart as well.
3. Delay has been busted for campaign finance fraud, and oh by the way there are recent reports that his problems could go FAR deeper, as in murder, anyone?
Not busted yet. More and more holes are being poked in that politically-motivated indictment every day. Looks more and more like the litigational equivalent of Rathergate.
Another reason to keep your G-suit on ... riding conspiracy theories can be just as hazardous as riding polls.
4. National Republican bribery ring about to be exposed.
Yeah, right. I'll believe it if they are convicted ... and IF it is true, they'll join a long line of CONVICTED Democrats (like Dan Rostenkowski and Jim Guy Tucker, just to name two), AND we can also compare this to the voter fraud perpetrated by the Dems every election ... and call for justice for all.
You see, Wilson -- I don't support Republicans because they are Republican ... I support them because they make at least little more sense than their opponents. Until we render both parties obsolete, I am making the best of a bad situation.
OTOH, I believe that this President makes a lot more sense ... especially when it comes to national security ... than his opposition to date. They are still "fighting", not their last war, but their last protest march.
Wow, I'd say times are getting ripe for another Clinton to be elected to the White House. America's first presidentrix.
This is illustrative of your selective thinking and/or hypocricy, Wilson.
The reason Mrs. Clinton has any chance, is that she learned early on (perhaps the hard way, after her first trip to Iraq in 2003) not to engage in your kind of conspiracy theorizing and loose rhetoric (unlike her Democratic fellow-travelers in Congress and elsewhere), but instead has continued to quietly support the war effort you say was based on lies.
Is she a liar, too? Why aren't you ripping her a new one?
Face it, even if everything had been executed perfectly and there was no insurgency ... you would still find something to rip this President about.
Why? Is there anything good he has done in your eyes? Or, are you just another Sore-Loserman, looking for payback?
When's the show-er, I mean the People's Justice Trial begin for the icky people you don't like, Kolb?
Love the reply, Rich. You don't support Republicans just because they're Republicans, but you've already pre-invented the excuse for their national bribery scandal. Now, what will you say if the feds charge your wingnut hero DeLay with conspiracy to commit murder? There are some rumblings out there about DeLay having a bribery connection to some guys in Florida who murdered a casino operator who wouldn't play ball. Must have been a terrorist, huh Rich?
As for ripping Hillary a new one, I think I'll let the Republicans do that. I mean, I want the woman to run for the sole reason that at least 100,000 wingnut will stroke out from watching her on TV. Face it, you guys will go crazy. You'll drool and shout and your eyes will bulge out, and she'll pick up another 5% from it.
Wilson, if Hillary is elected, we will survive her ... like we did her husband.
The question is, can you survive a Hillary that is closer to President Bush's viewpoint than your viewpoint, when it comes to Iraq and national security?
Answering that question would "almost" make me want to vote for her ... just to see the effect on you, when she launches a pre-emptive strike.
Rich, we'll have plenty of time to debate the 2008 election when the time comes. Meantime, we can talk about why you hate America and everything it has ever stood for.