Following up on an item from yesterday, there have been several new national polls released, all of which show remaining support for the war in Iraq evaporating quickly. I’ve often wondered what the Bush gang thinks about results like these. Yesterday, we got a hint.
At yesterday’s White House press briefing, there were plenty of questions about the president’s policies in Iraq, as well as several references to new polling data. Tony Snow, when he wasn’t feigning ignorance, seemed to have an explanation for plummeting national support.
“[I]f you take a look at poll data — and there’s a lot of discussion about that — what’s interesting is that a majority of the American public not only thinks that we’re capable of winning, but we should. I think that there is understandable apprehension about the situation in Iraq. And what people want to hear is, how do you assess the situation and how do you wish to address it? And those are questions the President is going to answer.
“…I’m trying to get at what may be some of the causes for public discontent of late, which is there is a sense that you have a government that itself has been at war with itself, rather than working together on important tasks. This is an opportunity to step forward and work together. And as I’ve said, when it comes to the business of, do you want to win, the answer is yes; and, do you think we can win, the answer is yes.”
It’s often hard to tell if Snow actually buys into his own spin, but is it possible the White House really believes Americans have turned against the administration’s war policy because they perceive that the U.S. government “has been at war with itself”? Does that even make any sense?
Far be it for me to give the Bush gang advice about public opinion, but maybe — I’m going to go out on a limb here — Americans oppose the war because the president’s policy doesn’t work, doesn’t make sense, and has cost the nation dearly in blood and treasure.
He probably wouldn’t like it, but there’s a better rhetorical option for Snow to consider.
Instead of pretending that Americans believe something they don’t, Snow could simply argue that the public is mistaken and that the polls don’t matter. It would take some political courage, but the White House could delicately argue, “We respectfully disagree with the nation, and will move forward with or without national support, because in the end our policy will be vindicated.”
To be sure, this would be wrong, because the policy is failing and will almost certainly continue to fail, but at least it would be coherent. Saying that astonishingly bad poll numbers are really indicative of an electorate that supports the White House tack is utterly ridiculous — and more than a little embarrassing.
Indeed, just hours after a USAT/Gallup poll shows that a combined 61% believe we either cannot or will not win the war, Snow insists the public believes we can and will win the war. For a White House that seems scarily out of touch, and more than a little delusional, this isn’t helping.
For what it’s worth, a new LAT/Bloomberg poll showed the same results as all the others.
The American public has abandoned President George W. Bush on the Iraq war and is looking to Congress for a way out that includes a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops, according to a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll.
The national survey shows a disaffected public that has grown more sour about the conflict since September, with only about one in seven believing Bush’s claim that the U.S. is winning in Iraq.
More than half of Americans want to set a schedule to withdraw all troops, a significant change from September, when 44 percent said the U.S. should stay as long as it takes. “There is a new level of discontent” over the war, said Susan Pinkus, the Times polling director. “It’s hurting the economy and it’s hurting other issues. This is all the president can concentrate on.”
By better than 2-to-1 margins, the public supports two key recommendations of an independent bipartisan panel called the Iraq Study Group. The panel’s report called for direct U.S. negotiations with Iran and Syria about the future of Iraq and possibly withholding economic and military support from the Iraqi government unless it makes progress on political reforms and national reconciliation.
With almost two-thirds saying Iraq is in a civil war, the public’s top priority for the next Congress is setting a timetable for withdrawal.
If you listen to Tony Snow, this is proof that the White House is right on track.