For once, the media is reporting facts and questioning the administration. But, according to the
Washington Post poll (conducted Friday night) is reporting that the Bush's support has not really eroded from his base.
Where is the Democratic leadership? Why aren't they taking a stand. The conservative echo chamber message machine is gaining momentum.
Slightly less than half -- 46 percent -- approve of the way Bush has handled relief efforts while 47 percent disapprove, a result that might offer some cheer to beleaguered White House staffers who feared a stronger negative reaction...
...Slightly more than four in 10 say the government response revealed serious problems in federal emergency preparedness overall, while a majority (54 percent) disagreed.
The split is now on mostly on party lines. I wish I knew how independents chose. I think that they are casting their lot with Bush because there's been no real criticism of the administration's handling of the situation. (Thanks for sticking up for us Bill Clinton!)
...48 percent rating the federal effort as excellent or good and 51 percent saying it was not so good or poor -- views deeply colored by party affiliation. According to the poll, 68 percent of Democrats rated the government's performance as "not so good" or "poor," while 66 percent of Republicans judged it to be "excellent" or "good." This finding shows this national emergency has not united Americans the way the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, did.
The "blame Nagin and Blanco" meme is winning out. (Please thank Mary Landrieu for thanking the Preznit the other day!!!!)
Looking back at the devastation, two-thirds of the respondents said the federal government should have been better prepared to deal with a storm of this size. A larger share of the public was critical of state and local governments in the affected states: Three in four said they should have been better prepared.
While critics of Bush's policies in Iraq say the war has made it more difficult for governments to deal with the storm emergency, most Americans are not yet convinced. Just under half (46 percent) said the deployment of National Guard troops and equipment to Iraq had made it harder to deal with the storm's aftermath, but 49 percent said it had not had much effect -- a split that mirrored the public's divided views on the war.
So, I guess the lack of National Guard presence doesn't really matter to the people. I hope that the administration tells that to the Guardsmen and Guardswomen who come from the affected states.