[Howlin]

Our president hasn't connected with people. He needs to show some emotion and stop reading off the teleprompters and looking shell shocked. Then he wouldn't need to worry about being shown up by Bill Clinton or anyone else. Frankly, Guiliani and Colin Powell have been a thousand times more composed and presidential.

Just so you'll know -- and I'll know that you know -- Bush's approval rating on THIS VERY THING is 80 percent.

[walruseyes]

If Alfred E. Newman were president I would expect him to have an 80% approval rating. Even the Lib web sites are saying "yeah, he's a so and so, but this is a national crises". Those numbers won't mean much in 2004 when this crises is past unless he connects. Like or not the last election was tight and the president can't afford to be misunderstood by more than a fraction of the people over the long haul. I'm sure the next election is the last thing on his mind-and that's appropriate, but don't throw a poll taken after a national trauma as proof of anything except our willingness to stand togeter in a crises.