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Bush gets highest approval rating since Saddam's capture: poll
WASHINGTON (AFP) ^ | 2/8/2005

Posted on 02/08/2005 3:24:00 PM PST by wingblade

Bush gets highest approval rating since Saddam's capture: poll

Tue Feb 8, 9:41 AM ET Politics - AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Boosted by the Iraqi elections and his State of the Union speech, US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) has achieved the highest approval rating, 57 percent, since the capture of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), a new poll said.

The Iraqi vote has also swung opinion about the US-led war there in favor of the Bush administration with 55 percent believing it was not a mistake sending troops to Iraq (news - web sites), up from 47 percent last month, according to the USA-Today/CNN/Gallup poll.

Fifty percent approve of how Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, up from 42 percent last month -- 48 percent disapprove, down from 56 percent last month, it said.

Sixty percent of the 1,010 adults surveyed February 4-6 said the Iraqi election went better than they expected and 53 percent said things were going very or moderately well in Iraq, compared to 40 percent last month.

Sixty-four percent believe some sort of democratic government will be established in Iraq, up from 47 percent last month, and 10 percent say more troops are needed there, against 24 percent last month, the opinion poll showed.

On the domestic front, 54 percent said they approve of Bush's decision to reform the social security pension system, compared to 50 percent who said they disapprove.

But a majority of Americans said health care costs, education and the economy were their top priorities, instead of Bush's: social security, taxes, same-sex marriage and restrictions on lawsuits.

In his State of the Union speech last week, Bush outlined a broad agenda for the next four years that included spreading democracy in the Middle East and overhauling the politically sensitive Social Security (news - web sites) retirement program.

The president's approval rating immediately after Saddam's capture in December 2003 was 59 percent in a USA-Today/CNN/Gallup poll.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bush; iraqielection; jobapproval; poll; pollsoniraq
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This is going to look good (because it is good) in future American History text books.
1 posted on 02/08/2005 3:24:00 PM PST by wingblade
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To: wingblade

What the Marxist libs cannot see is that the American people appreciate A REAL PROACTIVE, AMERICAN PRESIDENT. Not total losers like Carter and Clinton. When we get a President that does his job, the libs get upset BECAUSE THEY CANNOT GENERATE ONE that has any interest in the job, only getting to sit in the Oral office.


2 posted on 02/08/2005 3:26:18 PM PST by EagleUSA
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To: wingblade

these polls are meaningless. peoples opinions change with the direction of the wind. amazing.


3 posted on 02/08/2005 3:26:44 PM PST by ambrose (...)
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To: wingblade

People appreciate real leadership from an honest man. Thank you President Bush, and thank you America!


4 posted on 02/08/2005 3:27:23 PM PST by alnitak ("That kid's about as sharp as a pound of wet liver" - Foghorn Leghorn)
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To: wingblade

Now if he marches down to the Senate and drags Kerry out by his Cristophe Coifed locks and has him arrested for treason, his poll numbers would hit 90%.


5 posted on 02/08/2005 3:27:26 PM PST by pissant
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To: wingblade

snicker


6 posted on 02/08/2005 3:28:15 PM PST by finnman69 (cum puella incedit minore medio corpore sub quo manifestus globus, inflammare animos)
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To: ambrose

It shows a fair wind blowing ,however.


7 posted on 02/08/2005 3:29:01 PM PST by MEG33 (GOD BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES)
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To: wingblade

What gets me is, if we are to react to these polls all the time, a few weeks ago it was a mistake and not worth it to be in Iraq. Now it was correct and well worth it. I'd liek to see the media focus more on reality and less on the poll du jour. It was right then and it's still right. Iraq is a real place, not just a figment of the American public's shifting imagination.


8 posted on 02/08/2005 3:29:20 PM PST by Williams
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To: Williams

I does get discouraging to see the fickle public..The one constant is W..He just goes right ahead with his plan and the mission.


9 posted on 02/08/2005 3:33:46 PM PST by MEG33 (GOD BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES)
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To: wingblade
On the domestic front, 54 percent said they approve of Bush's decision to reform the social security pension system, compared to 50 percent who said they disapprove.

There were 104 percent of the people in this poll?

10 posted on 02/08/2005 3:34:43 PM PST by techcor (C-ZJ vs. MoDow rule enforcer.)
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To: wingblade

On the domestic front, 54 percent said they approve of Bush's decision to reform the social security pension system, compared to 50 percent who said they disapprove.

104%? The Democrats must have added this up.


11 posted on 02/08/2005 3:36:08 PM PST by BushisTheMan
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To: Williams
The problem with Iraq and Americans' perceptions of it is the media coverage.

The media insists on reporting on every bad thing that happens without reporting any of the good things.

But even the MSM couldn't report that the Iraqi elections went badly, even when they'd predicting exactly that for the past several months.

So, Americans finally heard some good news out of Iraq, and that's why support went up.

12 posted on 02/08/2005 3:37:17 PM PST by Dog Gone
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To: wingblade

Ted's going to need a new quart tonight... haha

Prayers for our President..


13 posted on 02/08/2005 3:38:18 PM PST by sdpatriot ("If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't, I'll just respond, cleverly." Rummy)
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To: wingblade

"... 54 percent said they approve of Bush's decision to reform the social security pension system, compared to 50 percent who said they disapprove"

fuzzy math !


14 posted on 02/08/2005 3:40:11 PM PST by EDINVA (a FReeper in PJ's beats a CBS anchor in a suit every time)
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To: Dog Gone

you got it. reeds blowing in the MSM wind... pathetic..

and just think how popular he'd be if the media reported all the good news from Iraq and Afghanistan?


15 posted on 02/08/2005 3:41:05 PM PST by sdpatriot ("If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't, I'll just respond, cleverly." Rummy)
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To: BushisTheMan

The Democrats always get a few extra votes. Let every vote count!


16 posted on 02/08/2005 3:49:18 PM PST by popdonnelly
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To: Dog Gone
So, Americans finally heard some good news out of Iraq, and that's why support went up.

There was a time .. thirty years ago when as much negative media coverage as Iraq has gotten would have turned the public totally against President Bush. But it did not.

But today the Media is far less believable than it was 30 years ago. They have on several occasions been very vocal and then proved to be very wrong.

There is value to Republicans in this last situation. The public had been told by the media and the Democrats that the election in Iraq was going to be a disaster. Bush and his administration said the opposite. They said it was going to be a success. The Democrats used Condaleeza's confirmation to make sure everyone knew the Democrats had told them the elections would be a disaster. The media sent lots of reporters to report the disaster.

But the Reporters were forced to report the truth.. The Elections were a success.

The public drew a real conclusion.. Bush truths and the media and Democrats lie.

There are those that say the Bush approval rating of 57 percent has no meaning. But it does. Another 3 or 4 percent of the swing voters have come to the conclusion that the Democrats and media lie. That should take us to near the position where the media can't drive the Bush approval rating below 50 percent. They had been able to drive it down to 47 or 48 percent.

IN the 1970s they could drive a president down to 36 percent. In the 1950s they could drive it down to 33 percent.

When the media can't destroy a Republican we will have reached a point where a liberal democrat can't be elected President. And the Republicans will hold the house for a generation and never lose the senate for more than two years.

The media and Democratic screw up on Iraq is far more costly to the media and Democrats than it first appears.

17 posted on 02/08/2005 4:05:33 PM PST by Common Tator
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To: BushisTheMan
I'm guessing that was supposed to say 50 % disapproved in the last poll. Must have been a lousy intern.

But it is funny.
18 posted on 02/08/2005 4:10:26 PM PST by AVNevis (You are never too young to stand up for America)
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To: Common Tator

With addendum this remains dependent on good governance and good representation in tandem with an involved constituency.

I agree despite perception when we glance towards the past we've seen gradual improvement. Once a majority of people think for themselves and gather facts to review independently the MSM is no longer needed. It reduces the effectiveness of propaganda. We're coming close to breaking the barrier. 51%-52% is a remarkable achievement compared to where we were once.


19 posted on 02/08/2005 4:18:02 PM PST by Soul Seeker
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To: Common Tator
I have to agree. The major media players have had a horrible year, and even those people who don't pay much attention to this sort of thing have noticed.

Rathergate was very damaging, but GI Joegate might even be worse. People in offices around the country were laughing and talking about it at the coffee bars and water coolers. The top story the networks had been talking about all day turned out to be an action figure taken hostage by jihadists. The hundreds of millions of people connected to the internet have far more resources and expertise than any single news organization ever could hope to have.

A reality check has been introduced, and the media hasn't figured out what to do about it yet.

The days when a man named Walter Cronkite could be universally deemed "the most trusted man in America" are over. "That's the way it is" is no longer is good enough. The American public is far more skeptical today, and it's a good thing for us.

20 posted on 02/08/2005 4:19:58 PM PST by Dog Gone
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