Support for the Chimp has dropped. Military poll

[alfredo]

This doesn't bode well for bush or his glorious war.

Approval of the president’s Iraq policy fell 9 percentage points from 2004; a bare majority, 54 percent, now say they view his performance on Iraq as favorable. Support for his overall performance fell 11 points, to 60 percent, among active-duty readers


Here's the link to the 2006 poll.

http://www.militarycity.com/polls/2005_main.php

The poll also found diminished optimism that U.S. goals in Iraq can be accomplished, and a somewhat smaller drop in support for the decision to go to war in 2003.

[The Count]

1. Bare majority? A majority????? of ...what?

[alfredo]

3. Of soldiers polled. Support for the CIC is always higher

in the military for various reasons, including peer pressure and denial.

If bush loses the military he is in deep shit.

[MikeNearMcChord]

2. I don't think the majority of the 54% are front line soldiers.

[alfredo]

6. I remember how there was pressure not to say anything

disparaging about the president. I bet if the soldiers believed they could be candid, the results would be even more disastrous. Even though there may have been assurances of anonymity, some still may not feel free to talk. Some have a lot invested in believing what they are doing is right and that their leaders are smart, moral and just.

[WritersBlock]

4. I've always wondered why nothing was made of the results of the military vote

in 2000 & 2004. Or at least of the overseas military vote, of which I'm assuming there must be a tally kept? Just seems to me that if Bush had carried them, we'd still be having it shoved down our throats.

[alfredo]

7. They found that the polls were not of the grunts and short timers.

So the big lead bush had in 2004 could be attacked because of the nature of the polls. The reality of the vote may not have matched what the media and Rove wanted to tout.

[alfredo]

8. dupe

[tabasco]

5. Poll the infantry battalions.

Support is about 1%.

[alfredo]

9. If bush loses the Generals, the grunts will follow.

[tabasco]

10. If Bush loses the grunts, the generals will follow.

I really think it is the other way around.

[alfredo]

11. discipline is still number 1 in the military. The generals will

not let the grunts lead. The NCO's are pretty republican and will not tolerate mutiny. If the generals turn, the NCO's will follow because there is an institutional distrust for the "suits." Though there is always talk of loyalty to the Commander in Chief, when push comes to shove, the military man is for his brothers in arms.

[tabasco]

12. I was in infantry line units for ten years.

I can confidently tell you that the last person whose opinion a grunt cares about is a general's.

[alfredo]

13. The generals are not in daily

contact with the soldier like the NCO's. Still the grunts will know who is loyal to them and who isn't.

I did a brief stint as a driver for General Perez down in Ft Jackson. He was a hell of a nice guy. Colonel Lou Millet was a hero of mine. He would come out on exercises with us, get dirty and drunk with us. When some Navy Seals ganged up on one of our guys and sent him to the hospital, Millet called their commander and told him that he has three thousand men at his command and if there is one more attack on his men he will march on them. There were no more attacks.

He's also a CMOH recipient.


He lead the last successful bayonet attack. It took place in Korea. At the time I was under his command he did not have the good conduct medal. He took that as an honor. http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292308-1934057.php

[WI_DEM]

14. That's pretty bad given that most active duty soldiers have to convince themeselves

of the rightness of the cause they are fighting.