Analysis: Bush Lands in Same Hole As Dad

CBS/KFMB ^ | MAY 28, 2006 | Tom Raum

[ncountylee]

Through his presidency, George W. Bush has worked hard to avoid repeating the mistakes of his father. He has done almost everything differently, yet now finds himself in the same hole despite trumping his dad by winning a second term.

He is roughly at the same place in the polls where the elder Bush was at the low point of his presidency, with only about three of every 10 Americans registering approval. Like his father before him, this president faces a rebellion among conservatives, an uncertain economic outlook and the prospect of Republican losses in November.

The first President Bush liked to quote Yogi Berra, his favorite pop philosopher, and his curious take on a baseball loss: "We made too many wrong mistakes."

What were the biggest mistakes of George W. Bush's presidency? When asked that at an April 2004 news conference, he said he could not think of any. A far more subdued Bush now acknowledges some major ones _ and not the ones his father made.

They include "kind of tough talk, you know, that sent the wrong signal to people," Bush said at a Thursday news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He said the inhumane treatment of Iraqi prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison was one of the darkest marks on his watch.

"Now I think he wishes he had not taken a blanket view that everything his father did was wrong," said Bruce Buchanan, a University of Texas professor who has closely studied the Bush family. "Staying out of Baghdad looks like a brilliant move at this point." During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the first President Bush did not send U.S. troops into Baghdad to oust President Saddam Hussein after the U.S.-led coalition ousted the Iraqi arm from Kuwait.

[ncountylee]

Roves has been widely reported to have been meeting with Congressman to lobby for "comprehensive" immigration reform. Tony Snow acknowledged that on Rush.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Those who make up history are doomed to repeat themselves.....

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

He is roughly at the same place in the polls where the elder Bush was at the low point of his presidency, with only about three of every 10 Americans registering approval.

30% is great. Great leaders always get low numbers. e.g. Truman, Churchill etc. Lousy leaders get high numbers. To get high numbers you must pander not lead.

The 30% numbers says more about the electorate and the MSM than it does about Bush. 70% of the electorate are either whiners, cry babies and/or clueless.

..Slick Winnie the Pooh. Very popular.

..the sheriff clearing al Queda brush. @ 30%.

when the going gets tough the tough get going....the rest play the saxaphone, get BJs in the Oval Office and practice the poitics of appease and pander..

..Winnie the Great...and unpopular.

..Neville the popular appeaser

..Harry S. Truman @20%+ in the polls at the height of the Korean War..the last great Democratic president.

[Annie5622]

Well, the posters here that prey on every opportunity to bash Bush believe it! Oh, sorry, you said people with brains. Nevahmiand.

[Annie5622]

Great post. Feel free to repeat it.

[Recovering_Democrat]

show me the barf alert next time. please.

[varon]

Note the source.

Ahem, Bush himself is the source.

[fish hawk]

Is CBS still in that hole that Dan Rather was at the bottom of?

[Just A Nobody]

Try polling a 51-48% Rep to Dem split and get that result then we will talk. Having to oversample the Democrat respondents by 1/3 to manufacture the outcome you want is propaganda NOT sound Methodology.

Just exactly right Johnnie! As soon as anyone says or writes "according to the polls" I laugh and ignore anything else they say or write.

Iraq is a main reason for Bush's low approval ratings ....

I am sick of hearing this as well. IF there is another reason for the President's low poll numbers, it is certainly NOT Iraq!

This propaganda piece is disgusting.

[Wonder Warthog]

"George W. Bush has done a whole lot of good these last 6 years, especially if you are an NRA member."

And what might those things be. As I recall, the only "good thing" that was NRA related was the failure of the Congress to pass the renewal of the "assault weapons ban", which Bush HAD PROMISED TO SIGN IF IT PASSED. Credit therefore does NOT go to Bush.

[kerryusama04]

It's called the "protection of lawful commerce in arms act". Then there's Alito, Roberts, and Rebecca Peters' second worst nightmare, John Bolton.

Look, right now things look real bad for conservatism and patriotism in general at present, but lets not fool ourselves. W has done a lot of good. That doesn't license the bad stuff, but we're not the party of personal destruction last I checked.

[JOE43270]

Read the United States Constitution and you will find out that he can put all the pressure he wants on them though the House and the Senate are in charge, We THE PEOPLE elected them and WE THE PEOPLE have to make them mind.

[Logical me]

He said the inhumane treatment of Iraqi prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison was one of the darkest marks on his watch.

Are you kidding. Most Americans thought we were too easy on these killer scum. Maybe you forgot, the blood of many Americans were on their hands. I don't believe there is any way to rehabilitate this scum.

[JOE43270]

You better read the United States Constitution so you can find out who is really in charge. The House and the Senate are not the PRESIDENT, from George Washington to George Bush.

[JOE43270]

You better read the United States Constitution to like Boommer should so you can see who is really in charge.

[newzjunkey]

Bommer nails it directly. Bringing in Tony Snow is too little too late. The president is a horrendous communicator. There's no way he would be able to put together such a coherent idea as Tony Blair's recent defense of the War on Terror basically saying over in Iraq, the insurgents clearly know what's at stake but do we?

[newzjunkey]

The President is a leader and an effective leader can move forward a positive agenda if it's articulated well. Bush can't do that and worse, he's trying to force-feed us amnesty for millions of illegals which at least the Senate half of Congress is happy to do! Other items like Social Security reform choked because he couldn't sell it. We never bothered to get to meaningful tax reform either.

The other thing is that you ignore that Bush has never once used his veto pen despite threats which always turned up hollow.

[Jameison]

"Bommer nails it directly. Bringing in Tony Snow is too little too late"

Too late for what?
His next elections?
This is a stupid analogy in this article.
President Bush's dad did NOT win reelection.
President Bush ALREADYT has.

We will win the election in Nivember because our House members are hard core on killing the evil Senate Immigration Bill.
Next?

[JOE43270]

Allright don't read the United States Constitution and never understand that WE the People are in charge. The House and the Senate are the enemy not the President. If you don't want to pay attention to what I said fine. Just remember that We the People are the ones that have to keep the House and Senate in line and make them do their job. Also you better remember that all our people that are in uniform are the reason that the Stars and Stripes are still flying. The wonderful people that have defended the Stars and Stripes from Concord Bridge till today are the reason you can have these arguements without reading the United States Constitution and understanding WHO your real enemy is.!

[NRA2BFree]

George W. Bush has done a whole lot of good these last 6 years, especially if you are an NRA member.

Yes, he has done a lot of good things for Americans, but he's let the illegal thing overshadow the good. It's unfortunate, but that's what will be remembered in his legacy!!!