Poll: World Doesn't Respect Bush (SEEBS and NYSLIMES ALERT)

Poll: World Doesn't Respect Bush 60% In CBS/NY Times Poll Say President Not Respected By Foreign Leaders

Just 32 percent said U.S. troops should be sent to the Mideast as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force, although 60 percent favor such a force.

(CBS) Americans generally approve of President Bush's handling of the current Mideast crisis, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll, but six in 10 say the president is not respected by foreign leaders.

The poll finds Americans are pessimistic about the prospects for Mideast peace and do not think the United States should involve itself in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

More than 60 percent think the conflict will lead to a larger war in the region, and a similar number doubt Israel and the Arab states will ever be able to live in peace.

Just 32 percent said U.S. troops should be sent to the Mideast as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force, although 60 percent favor such a force.

More Americans (47 percent) said they approve of how Mr. Bush has handled the conflict so far than disapprove (27 percent), but one in four said it's too early to form an opinion.

Mr. Bush's overall approval rating remains low — and in an additional diplomatic concern, most Americans (60 percent) now think he is not respected by foreign leaders.

That number is down significantly since just before the Iraq war began in 2003, when about half of Americans thought Mr. Bush was respected around the world.

Slightly more than half of Americans said they believe Mr. Bush respects foreign leaders, a number that's also down from 2003.

Most Americans do not think the United States should step up its diplomatic efforts in the latest Mideast crisis. Fifty-eight percent said solving conflicts between Israel and Mideast nations is not America's responsibility, while 33 percent said it is.

By 59 percent to 31 percent, Americans said the United Nations and other countries, rather than the United States, should take the lead in solving international crises.

Pessimism about the Mideast extends to U.S. efforts in Iraq. Just 27 percent of Americans — the lowest number to date — now believe the United States is winning the war, compared with 13 percent who say the Iraqi resistance is winning and 58 percent who call it a stalemate.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans said the war was going badly, including 27 percent who said it's going very badly.

While a majority of Americans, 58 percent, still believe success in Iraq is at least somewhat likely, 53 percent think Iraq will never become a stable democracy, up 10 points from last month.

Forty-one percent said the U.S. presence in Iraq is making the region less stable, nearly double the number in March. Twenty-five percent said the U.S. presence in Iraq was making the region more stable.

Sixty-nine percent also said the U.S. presence in Iraq is hindering U.S. diplomatic efforts elsewhere in the Mideast. Nearly three in four said the war in Iraq has worsened America's image in the world.

Blame for the current Mideast crisis was split, with about half of those polled saying Israel's response in the conflict was about right, and a similar number saying both Israel and Hezbollah were at fault.

A separate CBS News/New York Times poll on Congress and the 2006 election (.pdf) found continued low approval ratings for lawmakers and the president translating into a Democratic lead in the midterm voting this fall.

If the midterm elections for the House of Representatives were held today, 45 percent of registered voters said they would support the Democratic candidate, while 35 percent would support the Republican.

From Neal Bortz (Nealz Nuze):

http://boortz.com/nuze/200607/07272006.html#respect

WORLD DOESN'T RESPECT BUSH

CBS News and the New York Times have released a new poll. According to the poll, 60% of Americans think the president is not respected by world leaders. First of all, this is a poll that was designed to do nothing more than to give CBS and The New York Times a good Bush-bashing headline they could use. Besides, the impression 6 in 10 Americans have is clearly wrong.

Maybe some world leaders don't respect Bush, but they fear him...and they listen when he speaks. Just ask Kadaffi down in Libya. Once he saw Bush give Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq, and then invade when he didn't Kadaffi coughed up his WMD program right away. It was like taking candy from a baby. So much for Kadaffi's years of anti-American statements.

And what about those other world leaders that don't respect Bush. If they didn't respect him, would they constantly be coming to see him? Would Great Britain and Australia still have troops in Iraq? Would the prime minister of Japan be visiting? Hardly. Oh they respect him plenty. And besides, the presidency of the United States is not a worldwide popularity contest. The world loved Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton ... and as they were being loved they were busy appeasing those who hate us. Result? Iran and 9/11.

This whole 'the world hates us' bit is a fantasy of the media and the American left. The world loves America. They love our culture, our products, our music and our movies. Too bad so many Democrats don't.

The world does not think that much about the US. Some people like parts of the American culture some doesnt like it and some like it. You have to remember that most other countries are more aware of other countries because of their size (smaller). Most people in Europe travel across boarders often and experiences other culture and ways of life. The US is a continent of their own and therefore less people get out to other countries.
About Bush he is probably not that respected. I just get the feeling that most people here do not think that highly about Bush, but he is your president not ours so most people couldnt care less.
There are many great things about the US, but I think most people here think that other people in the world look up to the US. I would rather say most people here look at the American culture as equal and not superior. Its freer in some ways than other countries, but less free in other other ways. The US as most other wealthy countries in the world face the danger of Islam. I believe Islam will eat itself up from inside. Well no hard feelings here just a view from Europe that is common.

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