Bush loses some luster on credibility

[UpInArms]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0718/p01s01-uspo.html?s=t5

WASHINGTON – When George W. Bush ran for president in 2000, he sought to contrast himself implicitly with President Clinton, promising to restore "honor and integrity" to the White House. The argument seemed to work.

Now, in the public's view, President Bush is sliding into negative territory on that score. For the first time in his presidency, more Americans give Bush a low rating (45 percent) on being "honest and straightforward" than give him a high rating (41 percent), according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

It's not just the recent revelations about top aide Karl Rove - now known to be involved in the imbroglio over the outing of a CIA operative - that have hurt Bush. A range of issues are dampening the president's numbers, from his as-yet-unsuccessful attempt to sell partial privatization of Social Security to increasing public doubts over the decision to go to war in Iraq, says one of the pollsters who conducted the survey.

"We really didn't ask about Rove," says Peter Hart, a Democratic pollster who ran the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff. "It's sort of a sense that nothing's going right, and that a lot of his basic tenets that he put out for the second term are coming up a cropper."

<snip>

On the last point, Mr. Black adds, "it's weird, because the economy is good, but a lot of people don't think it is."

...more...

background on "Mr. Black": Washington lawyer and GOP adviser

:rofl:

[Rude Horner]

1. The economy is good?

Since when?! :wtf:

[NewJeffCT]

5. Corporate profits are setting records all the time

I mean, last year ExxonMobil set an all-time record for any corporation in history. Over $25 billion net after taxes & after dividends and everything else. If you're a big company, you're likely loving life under Bush...

Of course, for the average person the economy still basically sucks.

[TomPainesBones]

2. Why did he ever have it?

Credibility, I mean.

[johnnie]

3. Interesting

This is from The Christian Science Monitor.
Are cracks forming?

[maxsolomon]

4. define "some".

is that the same as "99.95%"? because 99.95% is not "all".

[Imagevision]

6. Really! - define "some credibility" are you serious?!!

The only thing to stop Bush numbers from the spiraling drop would be another 9-11 -- and I wouldn't put that past this administration.