[Juballharshaw]

Exhibit A:

Belief that country heading in right direction is at all-time low - CNN.com

Belief that country heading in right direction is at all-time low

Story Highlights
NEW: Only 16 percent think the country is headed in the right direction
NEW: Three-quarters believe President-elect Obama will be a good president
Over three-quarters, 76 percent, disapprove of President Bush
Bush approval rating is lower than President Nixon's after Watergate
By Paul Steinhauser
CNN Deputy Political Director
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the day that President-elect Barack Obama visited the White House, a new national poll illustrates the daunting challenges he faces when it becomes his home next year.

Only 16 percent of those questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday say things are going well in the country today. That's an all-time low. Eighty-three percent say things are going badly, which is an all-time high.

"The challenge Obama faces has never been greater. No president has ever come to office during a time when the public's mood has been this low. In the 34 years that this question has been asked, the number who say things are going well has never fallen below 20 percent," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director.

The 83 percent saying things are going badly is "more than in 1992, when the first President Bush was ousted because of the economy, stupid. That's more than in 1980, when President Carter got fired after the malaise crisis. That's more than in 1975, after Watergate and the Nixon pardon," said Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst.

So far, Obama seems to be meeting the public's high expectations. Two-thirds of all Americans have a positive view of what he has done since he was elected president, and three-quarters think he will do a good job as president. Watch Obama's ambitious agenda »

"Obama has the support of virtually every African-American in the poll, but he also gets high marks from a solid majority of whites," Holland said.

But that optimism doesn't hide what appears to be concern about the economy. Six in 10 say that they don't have a clear idea of what Obama would do to improve the economy. Watch Bush welcome Obama at the White House »

The all-time low on the public's mood may have something to do with the poll's finding that President Bush is the most unpopular president since approval ratings were first sought more than six decades ago. Seventy-six percent of those questioned in the poll disapprove of how he is handling his job.

That's an all-time high in CNN polling and in Gallup polling dating back to World War II.

"No other president's disapproval rating has gone higher than 70 percent. Bush has managed to do that three times so far this year," Holland said. "That means that Bush is now more unpopular than Richard Nixon was when he resigned from office during Watergate with a 66 percent disapproval rating."

Before Bush, the record holder for presidential disapproval was Harry Truman, with a 67 percent disapproval rating in January of 1952, his last full year in office.

As Obama visits the White House to start the transition from the Bush administration to an Obama administration, 57 percent of those questioned think the transfer of power will be relatively easy and free from tension, with 39 percent saying the transition will be difficult. Watch what Bush and Obama may talk about »

"A majority say that the transition from Bush to Obama will go smoothly, although nearly one in four predict a lot of tension between Bush aides and Obama aides in the next few weeks. That sentiment is highest among Democrats, but even among them, a majority believes that the transition will be relatively easy," Holland said.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted Thursday through Sunday with 1,246 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Exhibit B:

The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace - WSJ.com

The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace
What must our enemies be thinking?

By JEFFREY SCOTT SHAPIRO
Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president.

According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.

This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust."

Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.

The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.

It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.

Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.

Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."

To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history.

Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.

Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.

Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned with John F. Kerry's legal team during the presidential election in 2004.

Hrm?

[Scooby]

I think it's just been easier to project our feelings on the retarded poster child for government. The whole systems been pretty wonky. Not just him.

[MSP]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

1) The president gets far too much credit and blame.
2) It'll be decades before we know the full impact of his presidency.

History has shown that lots of unpopular presidents have ultimately been good presidents. One thing is for sure, Bush is an important president. In 2028 I'll start a thread about him so we can discuss this topic properly.

[ThatHideousStrength]

It's because the President represents what's going on during that era of 4 - 8 years. If it's going bad he gets the shit for it.

[couturedharlot]

i was reading an article the other day on a similar subject about W. they were talking about how on one hand he is seen as the worst president ever (and they did the relation to truman), but on the other hand he may be looked at differently in the future if a stable form of democracy does ever happen in Iraq.

I personally believe in the "worst president" view of him. I think that if Iraq works out, Obama will have more to do with it than Bush. W's had almost 8 years to fix that problem and he's really not done a whole lot besides proclaim "mission accomplished". The Clinton administration left us with a surpluss of money and now our deficit is just unimaginable. I think W wanted to try to outdo his dad instead of actually doing what was right for our country.

[HEAVY-D]

He's not the worst president imo. All unpopular presidents are scapegoats.

[Caucasian Hammer]

I think it is much easier for kids and uniformed people to just say it's George Bush's fault or Bush sucks! When in reality its much deeper than that. The president gets most of the blame because there are 100 seats in the senate and 435 in the House of Representatives and it is easier to blame one guy for everything bad that happens than 535 politicians.

He did make mistakes in Iraq(not enough troops to begin with), and I still don't believe that Clinton left him with a surplus(can someone show me actual proof?), but Bush did increase the debt because obviously wars cost money, and I wasn't a fan of the amnesty for illegals immigrants shenanigans.

But overall the most important thing that he did for me was make me feel a sense of safety, September 11th scared the shit out of me and my family(my aunt worked in the south tower). I can look at my life right now and say it could be alot worse, I have a home to live in, I have a car, I have a job, I'm getting student loans to pay for my college education, my family is by no means rich but we work hard for every penny. Overall it could be better but I have nothing to really complain about that happened in Bush's 8 years.

[MSP]

Word. The congress has been controlled by the Democrats for how long now? They basically were rewarded in this election for bad behavior, and Bush and friends took all the blame.

[OcTaNe91]

Originally Posted by Caucasian Hammer

He did make mistakes in Iraq(not enough troops to begin with), and I still don't believe that Clinton left him with a surplus(can someone show me actual proof?), but Bush did increase the debt because obviously wars cost money, and I wasn't a fan of the amnesty for illegals immigrants shenanigans.

the last time the country was even close to being debt free was during Jackson's presidency in 1835 he brought the debt down to $33,733.05. Clinton had a budget surplus of $230 billion but we still had $5.7 trillion in debt.
President Clinton announces another record budget surplus - September 27, 2000

[ivwshane]

Considering how little Bush used the veto and how his administration pushed for some of the biggest failures ever (iraq war or more accurately the war on terror), considering how the appointments he made to positions that made critical decisions and directly affected us the last eight years, I would say that without a doubt he is at fault for at least a minimum of 50% of the shit we are in.

Get the fuck out of here with your murdoch owned wall street journal piece of crap artical.

You guys are tools!

Yeah congress has had a lot to do with the way the country has been run the last eight years but it's the presidents job to keep them in check!!!
A failure to do that is... wait for it... a FAILURE to do his job!

[ivwshane]

Originally Posted by MSP

Word. The congress has been controlled by the Democrats for how long now? They basically were rewarded in this election for bad behavior, and Bush and friends took all the blame.

I see, so all the affects of this bad economy are the result of two years worth of actions by the dems?
The subprime mess was started two years ago by deciscions made by the dems?

I'm curious MSP, is there any thing you do blame bush for?

[MSP]

Originally Posted by ivwshane

Considering how little Bush used the veto and how his administration pushed for some of the biggest failures ever (iraq war or more accurately the war on terror), considering how the appointments he made to positions that made critical decisions and directly affected us the last eight years, I would say that without a doubt he is at fault for at least a minimum of 50% of the shit we are in.

Get the fuck out of here with your murdoch owned wall street journal piece of crap artical.

You guys are tools!

Yeah congress has had a lot to do with the way the country has been run the last eight years but it's the presidents job to keep them in check!!!
A failure to do that is... wait for it... a FAILURE to do his job!

Nobody would have expected you to say anything else. You've become probably the single biggest liberal bunghole around here these days. Which would be OK if your posts were substantive (aka Evanar). Take your remarks about Iraq and the war on terror being the "biggest failures ever". Would you care to quantify or back those statements with anything factual? It's all subjective. Iraq is on it's way to being a stable government and our nation hasn't been attacked since 9-11. From where I'm standing those are successes, albeit ones were big mistakes were made. Couldn't you mellow out and be just a little bit moderate? I just feel like everybody needs a tetnus shot every time you post.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by ivwshane

I'm curious MSP, is there any thing you do blame bush for?

Of course, but only a fool would think he deserves all of it.

[ivwshane]

Iraq is on it's way to being a stable government and our nation hasn't been attacked since 9-11.

So us and Iraq are back to where we were before the war? Nice.

I'd be happy to post links and back up my claim when I have more time, I figured though that since you have been around for the last eight years you would be well aware of his failings.

Nobody would have expected you to say anything else. You've become probably the single biggest liberal bunghole around here these days

I guess that makes you my counterpart

Of course, but only a fool would think he deserves all of it.

I agree but I've never seen you put any blame on him.

[tex]

Originally Posted by ivwshane

I see, so all the affects of this bad economy are the result of two years worth of actions by the dems?
The subprime mess was started two years ago by deciscions made by the dems?

I'm curious MSP, is there any thing you do blame bush for?

well if you're going to argue about it, the dow hit its highest peak ever right in 2007, and the economy was rather robust the whole time bush was in office...

(i personally think the economy from a macro view is influenced relatively little by the current presidents and their policies. Maybe 2-4 election cycles down when their policies can really start to show effects)

I think bush's biggest fuckup was not surrounding himself with good people. The administration as a whole is much worse than bush himself. also, i think americans are whiners and love to point fingers. our (I'm 22) generation especially. we're called the fucking entitled generation a lot. (google it and look at all the damn results.) Kids don't know how to bust ass for anything, and expect it to be handed to them on a silver platter.

I think that if Iraq works out, Obama will have more to do with it than Bush

Are you aware how much safer it has gotten over there (granted afghanistan is shit now...)? I have buddies over there. One just came back from being stationed in fallujah. the city that was a hell hole most of the war. he came under fire less than 20 times while doing _daily_ patrols over the course of 8 months. This is compared to back right after the war started when the place was insane. it is a lot safer over there. i think obama will definately get more credit for it since it appears he will be ending it, but i don't think he will have much to do with it besides that. (I'm glad we're getting out of there, but obama is not their savior (nor is he america's.) The hard work is already done, it is just getting dragged out at this point. this year is on track to by far be the lowest casualty count: iCasualties: Iraq Coalition Casualty Count )

EDIT: wait, wtf?

So far, Obama seems to be meeting the public's high expectations. Two-thirds of all Americans have a positive view of what he has done since he was elected president, and three-quarters think he will do a good job as president. Watch Obama's ambitious agenda »

What the fuck has he done? Gone off about more 'yes, we can', appointed the dude as his chief of staff, and setup change.gov . am i missing something?

[MSP]

Originally Posted by ivwshane

So us and Iraq are back to where we were before the war? Nice.

Ultimately it will be a lot better than before. The only thing I fault Bush for was fucking up and making it take a lot longer. He picked and trusted some bullshit advisers (in this case, Rumsfeld)

Originally Posted by ivwshane

I'd be happy to post links and back up my claim when I have more time, I figured though that since you have been around for the last eight years you would be well aware of his failings.

Like I said, it's subjective. Even the political pundits and scholars can't agree on the real impact of his presidency. It's just too soon to say. You, just like a lot of people have got caught up in this anti-Bush emotions and at least in your case, have completely lost objectivity.

Originally Posted by ivwshane

I guess that makes you my counterpart

I've voted for a Democrat president twice. How many Republicans have you voted for? Your counterpart here would more likely be ATIzed or CHE. (EDIT: Although in hindsight, they're probably more objective.)

[ThatHideousStrength]

You think Iraq is better off now than before Saddam? Ask some of the children that have lost their families. Ask the people who have no power and water. More segregation and ethnic cleansing has been going on.



The housing boom started in 2003 and started to crash in 2007.

[MSP]

No, I said "Ultimately it will be a lot better than before". And let's not forget who killed those children's families. It wasn't US soldiers or George W. Bush. They killed their own.

[freeridemusik]

Originally Posted by MSP

2) It'll be decades before we know the full impact of his presidency.

Very true, it is too early too tell and I am sure many people will analyze his presidency in the years to come.

Regardless, for me the Bush administration has not-supported many key issues that I find important in life and therefore I am glad to see him gone. Good riddance.

-
Who knows if Iraq will end up being in a good place in the long run... for now it will remain broken and completely fucked up. I am sure they lost a lot of important parts of their past, had families devastated, and their country will be changed from it once was. I don't exactly know what a better country will be for them... Christianity and Western culture, U.S. military bases and the changing of hands of oil rights... probably not.

[mistawiskas]

presidents are just scapegoats for ther industrial and military industrial complexes.
Congress doesn't call the shots either.

[Goofus Maximus]

While I won't go so far as "worst President ever", which may go to Herbert Hoover, I do think he's not being unfairly critisized.

He managed to fritter away a fantastic opportunity to lead the world after 9-11, by shoving us all into Iraq willy-nilly before finishing the job in Afghanistan, and dragging all the world with us, kicking and screaming, and basically ruining our leadership role in the world. This after having rebuffed the entire world with his unilateral pulling out of several treaties such as the anti-ballistic-missile treaty.

Indeed, his unilateralism in all sorts of foreign policy decisions, as well as his attempts to turn the Presidency into an Emperorship by simply ignoring laws at his convenience, make me put him at the top of the list of "Bad President."

For the economy, I point the finger a little at every single administration from Reagan onward. Democrat or Republican, it doesn't matter. More blame goes to all Congresses from Gingrich on. Deregulation run amok, thanks to the influence of lobbying from financial institutions (such as Enron, Fannie, and Freddie). The big financial institutions I blame along with Congress. I don't think one can really tell where one leaves off and the other starts, nowadays.