You have to wonder how the president puts up with it, day after day, receiving nothing but increasingly bad news — except from his ultra-conservative Supreme Court. He now has the honor of having the lowest ratings for the longest period of any president since Julius Caesar in Rome, and that was a long time ago.
A poll by the American Research Group reported Friday that nearly half of Americans want Bush impeached. Over half want to see VP Cheney get the axe. The AFP story acknowledged that Congress is unlikely to act on impeachment, although that's a mystery as well. What do they have to do? Have sex with interns or something? But act or not, it's another in a series of body blows this week that has to leave the administration wondering who cast a spell on them.
Today's Washington Post ran a story on independent voters in Virginia, that former bastion of Republican strength. Based on a survey conducted by The Post, The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, and Harvard, not only are independents more likely to support a Democrat for president, 46 percent named Bush the worst president since 1960. No one else got more than 15 percent. Half of Virginia independents named Busher the worst president since 1960. That's gotta sting.
An AP story released just recently found that Dick Cheney's popularity has now sunk as low as Bush's. Worse, many Republicans are growing weary of his bizarre concepts of the Constitution and the Vice President's place in the grand scheme of things. Bush may be pathetic. Cheney is downright bizarre. He's the best reason not to impeach the president.
Even Bush's formerly strongest war supporters, many looking at reelection in 2008, are calling on Bush to start doing something in Iraq that will work. When Republican Senators such as John Warner (VA), Pete Dominici (NM), Richard Lugar, George Voinovich (OH), Susan Collins (ME), John Sununu (NH), and Lamar Alexander (TN) all call for a new idea, any new idea or actually support some Democratic proposals...well, what's a president to do? I'd suggest Disney World, but he'd probably get booed out of the park.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Jeff Friedberg
Uh...Mark. Bush isn't running for president. Therefore---Mark---so what?
Also---Mark---who's your audience? If it's me, I voted for him twice but now can't wait to see him out of office and off the teeeveee, but I'll still vote for the most conservative Repub' I can find---Mark :)
Because---mark---I am sooo peeved by hit pieces on Conserves' that there is no Conserve', now, who can do any wrong at all. See? Mark? Nothing.
2 - Clavos
I was with you until the next-to-last 'graf, Mark.
I'm middle class, and I'm most decidedly NOT struggling. I'm not getting rich, but I'm not trying to, either.
I don't know anybody who considers themselves middle class and who feels they're struggling, either.
If you're buying oceanfront property in the mountains of West Virginia, don't pay too much for it; there are two chances that it ever will be oceanfront: slim and none, and slim just left town.
Even the most wild-eyed "scientist" isn't predicting a rise in the oceans of more than twenty feet, and it probably won't happen before this Christmas.
We've been hated around the world since I was a kid, and I'm no spring chicken. The rich always are hated by the have-nots.
On a personal level, I don't go out of my way to irritate or annoy people (well, maybe some of them), but I don't really care if people like me either, particularly if I have to change to conform to their idea of what I should be like in order for them to do so.
I think we as a nation should do the same; one doesn't have to be loved to be a good person.
Neither does a country.
3 - Les Slater
Mr. Bush seems to be taking all this pretty well. He's probably laughing about all the stupid critisms and poll figures.
Nobody critisizing him has anything better to offer. When it comes time to vote, congress totally backs his war policies.
The Republican 'desertions' mean absolutly NOTHING.
4 - Clavos
Glad to see you're back commenting again, Les (meant to say so the other day).
I always enjoy reading (and sometimes responding to) your comments, because you're one of the few on BC who usually has a unique perspective, even if I don't always agree with you. This time (#3), I do.
In short, you make me think more than most.
Welcome back.
5 - etaoin shrdlu
excuse me but I think you've mispelled "I am a complete idiot"
6 - Anthony Grande
OK...first:
Lowest approval rating since Julius Caesar? I hope you are joking.
second: Talk about the approval rating of your Democratic ran Congress. Bush's approval rating is as twice as high as Nancy Pelosi's and Harry Reid.
Third: The Supreme Court is ultra Conservative and the only supporters of Bush? Man, where are you from?
Anthony aka Hardcore Conservative
7 - REMF
Anthony;
What are doing out of the Marines and back from Iraq already? Did you get wounded over there?
- MCH
8 - Anthony Grande
Hey MCH...you have a great memory.
I went Army instead of Marines. I went to boot camp last summer then came back for my senior year in high school. Now I am shipping out for Interrogator school in Arizona on Aug 7.
So I am here to annoy you for another month.
Anthony
9 - Clavos
Interesting.
It's not called "boot camp" in the Army as I recall, Anthony. What is it called again? I've forgotten.
10 - gonzo marx
you can't get into the Army without a diploma or a GED
"interrogator school"?? what the fuck is the MOS for that?
the AG story, changes every time, and facts get made up as required..like the rating for Reid and Pelosi (both of whom are idiots) being half that of W's 29%
pure bullshit
Excelsior?
11 - Pug
Mr. Bush may be laughing about all the criticism and the poll numbers, but I'll bet Susan Collins, Gordon Smith, John Sununu, Mike Voinovich, Norm Coleman and even Pete Domenici aren't. I'll also bet the 28 Republican congressional incumbents who squeaked by with less than a 3% margin in 2004 aren't laughing much either. These folks would like to keep their lucrative careers going.
12 - Anthony Grande
Well, I see nothing has changed since a year ago when I left.
As was talking so non-military folks would understand.
I went to Army Basic Training last summer and the MOS I am going to train for is 97E - Human Intelligence Collector. I will be leaving for Fort Huachuca, Az in August.
Anthony
13 - Les Slater
"... but I'll bet Susan Collins, Gordon Smith, John Sununu, Mike Voinovich, Norm Coleman and even Pete Domenici aren't."
And that is the only reason some repubs are taking public distance from the current administration and its policies. It means absolutely NOTHING of substance.
14 - Anthony Grande
And oh yeah...Gonzo
As long as you are on track with you credits you can join the Army as a 17 year old Junior. It is part of the new split-option program.
Anthony
15 - Dave Nalle
The AFP story acknowledged that Congress is unlikely to act on impeachment, although that's a mystery as well. What do they have to do? Have sex with interns or something?
I think I have the answer to this one. They have to commit 'high crimes and misdemeanors' as laid out in the Constitution (you've heard of that, right). That means knowingly breaking the law. It doesn't mean having an arguable interpretation of a law which some on the left don't like. It doesn't mean having low poll numbers or a creepy vice president.
All of those advocating impeachment are missing a key step in the process. You have to have a crime first - even if it's just participating in a coverup or perjury - then you can pursue impeachment.
Dave
16 - Dave Nalle
The Republican 'desertions' mean absolutly NOTHING.
No, Les. They mean something very specific. They mean an election is coming up.
Dave
17 - gonzo marx
thanks for the info, AG
is the profile for the MOS, good luck
shows they have lowered the standards and changed the rules if they will take students who have not even graduated yet... times have indeed changed since i was inserv
keep your head down, and if you want to excel, learn Farsi
nuff said
Excelsior?
18 - Dave Nalle
shows they have lowered the standards and changed the rules if they will take students who have not even graduated yet...times have indeed changed since i was inserv
That's not all that new a practice. I know of at least one person who entered under a similar program more than a decade ago, where you did training in your Junior year and committed to join and then actually joined after graduation. And remember, there used to be high-school ROTC too.
Dave
19 - Clavos
Just went into gonzo's link to the Army MOS list, and the first thing I found was typical Army:
"In this section we have seperated (sic)...
Army hasn't changed in the last 40 years - it's still a wonder they can even find the enemy, let alone fight them.
No wonder, it's operated by the gummint...
20 - Anthony Grande
Thanks Gonzo...did you miss comment #12. You must have missed it because I posted again after that.
I was just talking so non military folks would know what I was talking about.
And yeah I believe the Army is lowering its standards. In Basic Traing I met alot of people who I believe to be too inmature to be wearing the uniform.
Learing another language was why I chose 97E but I was dissapointed to see they recently removed the language requirement. I heard a lucky few still get to go to the language school in Monterrey.
What was your MOS?
Anthony
21 - RJ
President (Republican) Job Approval:
Newsweek 07/02 - 07/03 Approve 26% Disapprove 65%
Rasmussen 06/28 - 06/30 36% 61%
CBS News 06/26 - 06/28 27% 65%
FOX News 06/26 - 06/27 31% 60%
That's pretty ugly...
Congress (Democrat) Job Approval:
BS News 06/26 - 06/28 Approve 27% Disapprove 60%
Newsweek 06/18 - 06/19 25% 63%
Gallup 06/11 - 06/14 24% 71%
That's even worse...
22 - RJ
Comment #17:
Thank you, Dave. What exactly would these "articles of impeachment" say?
"We don't like Bush, and we dislike Cheney even more, and they are lying liars who lied their way into a war that we mostly voted for, based on pretty much the same intelligence the guys we want to impeach were looking at"?
If you want to impeach the President, a better bet would be the fact that he has left our borders undefended, almost six years after 9/11...
23 - gonzo marx
i was Navy, AG...and started in one field, was injured and finished my time doing something else, wound up getting out after 4 years rather than 6 due to medical and political reasons
but that's not important
like i said, good luck, keep your head down..and take advantage of the one thing you are certain to get out of the experience...learning about more than what's right in front of you
nuff said
Excelsior!
24 - Anthony Grande
Thank you for the advice. It is much appreciated.
Anthony
25 - Leslie Bohn
Of course he won't be impeached, but the President admitted on television that he repeatedly approved spying on people without proper judicial authority, each count of which is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.