The Incredible Shrinking Presidency

Americans are overwhelmingly resigned to something less than clear-cut victory in Iraq and growing numbers doubt the country will achieve a stable, democratic government no matter how the U.S. gets out, according to an AP poll.

At the same time, dissatisfaction with President Bush's handling of Iraq has climbed to an all-time high of 71 percent. The latest AP-Ipsos poll, taken as a bipartisan commission was releasing its recommendations for a new course in Iraq, found that just 27 percent of Americans approved of Bush's handling of Iraq, down from his previous low of 31 percent in November.

Still... that's 27% approval which still seems high to me. What's his bottom number? And how many soldiers have to die before he gets there? I read once that hardcore Right-Wing Theocratical Evangelicals are 18% of the population (and therefore an astonishing 36% of that party... no wonder they can't nominate good candidates). I'm assuming that 18% of Americans is Bush's ground-floor... where everyone of every stripe except those who think BTK Bush is the second coming of Christ has abandoned him.

What will it take for that last 9% of non-nutso-Evangelicals to peel away from Bush's War On Iraq? And who are these people?

11 Troops In One Day

Wednesday's Toll for U.S. Troops in Iraq Rises to 11
BAGHDAD, Dec. 7 -- The U.S. military raised the number of service members killed Wednesday to 11, making it one of the deadliest days for U.S. troops this year.

Also, a soldier died Thursday from wounds suffered the day before in a battle in the volatile western province of Anbar.

The deaths bring to at least 31 the number of U.S. troops killed in the first week of December.

Why is it the people shouting "Support Our Troops" can't see that shoving them into a meat grinder for tour after tour of the same old tactics which ARE NOT WORKING is the exact opposite of "support"?

I -do- support our troops, but I can't understand this idea that to criticize their mission is to criticize the people tasked with carrying out that poorly-planned "mission."

I don't blame the Army for not securing Iraq... they haven't been given the proper orders to enable them to do so (not that those orders have EVER existed and not that the slim window of opportunity for those orders to work hasn't slammed shut a long time ago). Firing Rumsfeld is the equivalent of putting a band-aid on a sucking chest wound and praying for Jesus to heal you.