Bob Herbert (NYT): Shaking the House of Cards

[Dudley_DUright]

No wonder the sky-high poll numbers for President Bush have collapsed. The fiasco in Iraq is only part of the story. The news on one substantive issue after another could hardly be worse. It's almost as if the president had a team in the White House that was feeding his credibility into a giant shredder.

Despite the administration's relentlessly optimistic chatter about the economy, the Census Bureau reported that the number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.7 million last year, the second straight annual increase. During those two years, the number of poor Americans has grown by 3 million.

Belt-tightening is also in order for the middle class. The median household income declined by 1.1 percent, a drop of about $500, to $42,400. It was the second straight year for a decline in that category as well.

Per capita income decreased, too. It dropped by 1.8 percent, to $22,794 in 2002, the first decline in more than a decade.

Boom times these ain't.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/03/opinion/03HERB.html

[mistertrickster]

1. It's still the economy, stupid. 9-11 was a hell of a distraction,

but the Bushistas couldn't mine it forever.

This is looking so much like Bush 41 and his "Operation Desert Storm" rhetoric, it's not funny . . .

On edit--and thanks for the post, DUdley!

[Dudley_DUright]

2. No thanks necessary

Just doing my job. ;-) It is looking more and more like history is repeating itself (first as tragedy and then as farce).

[Skittles]

3. BUSH IS A TWO TRICK PONY

TAX CUTS AND WAR. AND THEY ARE BOTH BIG F***ING FAILURES.