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Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Dumbass News Story of the Day
Posted by Jill | 7:29 AM

Just when you start thinking maybe journalism is becoming what it's supposed to be, here comes this astoundingly dumb Administration prop-up piece in theL.A. Times (emphases mine):

The bombs exploded in London, but the repercussions are still rippling across Washington.

A surge in public concern about terrorism means a probable boost in support for President Bush and the war in Iraq.

Renewed fear of terrorist sleeper cells will probably spur increased support for tough law enforcement measures such as the Patriot Act, which is up for renewal. And there's new enthusiasm in Congress for increased spending on domestic security, especially mass transit — an area in which legislators were cutting budgets three weeks ago.

There's no telling how long the wave of concern will last. If the London attack gives way to months of calm, the increased fear — and any gain in popularity for Bush — may well be short-lived. But for the moment, Washington is back in 9/11 mode.

"The bombings will give both Bush and [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair a boost," said Christopher Gelpi, a political scientist at Duke University who studies public opinion in times of war. "I think the attacks may help slow the ebbing of [public] support over Iraq, because the bombings make [Bush's] point about linking Iraq and terrorism."


Uh, nope:

The number of Americans who believe the war in Iraq has made the United States less safe from terrorism spiked sharply after last week's terror attacks in London, according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

The proportion of respondents who said they believe the war in Iraq has made the United States less safe from terrorism jumped to 54 percent in the latest poll. That is a dramatic increase from 39 percent in the poll conducted June 29-30, a week before the London attacks.

Of the 489 people asked that specific question, 40 percent believed the Iraq war had made the United States safer -- down from 44 percent in the previous poll.

The other 517 poll respondents were asked whether the Iraq war had made the world safer. Forty percent said it had, and 52 percent said it made the world less safe.


Now, the news isn't ALL bad for Bush; his approval ratings were boosted to 49%, which is still nothing to crow about. That few points hike is simply a reflection of the reptilian brain at work; this idea in the collective nervous breakdown mind of the American population since 9/11 that to approve of the president's job performance somehow magically makes him competent -- because the alternative, knowing that he has made not just the US, but the entire world, FUBAR, is more than most people can handle.

Give it a few days, and he'll be hovering back down to the political "Mendoza line", which I arbitrarily put at 40%.
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