White House Watch: Democrats see opportunity in Iraq polling

[sabra]

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http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/050628/28whwatch.htm

Pollsters of both major parties are sensing an important change in public attitudes toward the Iraq war. Recent opinion surveys suggest that a substantial majority of voters have turned against the war, repulsed by the level of violence and the rising number of casualties among U.S. troops.

"It's a bad situation, and it's getting worse," says a senior Democratic strategist. White House officials, of course, argue that real progress is being made in Iraq but the news media aren't giving it enough coverage. In an effort to shore up support, President Bush plans to make the case more vigorously that his Iraq policy is working and the country needs to be steadfast.

Yet if the violence continues or escalates through next year and the situation doesn't appear to be getting better, "the outcry will be very great," says Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg. Privately, some Republican strategists agree. They see growing potential for a protest vote that could endanger the GOP majorities in Congress. "It bears watching," admits a White House adviser.

For their part, Democrats see an opportunity to nationalize the 2006 midterm election by making it, at least in part, a referendum on Iraq policy. Greenberg says that, of all the issues facing President Bush, "Iraq is the most dangerous but the one he has the most control over." If the U.S. occupation gets too unpopular, Bush could begin pulling out U.S. troops and accelerate the turnover of security to Iraqi forces. What worries GOP analysts is that voters in rural areas, who tend to be conservative but whose families have sent a large share of soldiers into the conflict, are particularly discontented with Bush's war policy. This could hurt Republican candidates for the Senate next year in rural states.

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[leesa]

1. They just don't get it...that people are dying.

[Dhalgren]

4. You're right. I can't seem to get it through anyone's head

that we are killing people on a massive, daily basis for no damn good reason. I hate it that nearly 1800 misguided Americans have been killed and thousands upon thousands have been crippled for life - all for no damn good reason, but the Americans are over there committing crimes, the Iraqis are just getting killed. And before someone jumps all over me for suggesting the Americans are in Iraq committing crimes, let me say - it may be debatable whether or not the individual US soldiers are personally responsible for the crimes being committed, but at the very least they are the weapons being used to commit the crimes...daily...

This isn't a political opportunity, it is a crime against humanity...

[AndyTiedye]

6. Misled, Not Necessarily Misguided

A lot of them joined the National Guard after 9/11, thinking that the
country needed them to fight terrorism. They got sent to Iraq instead.
And sent again. And again.

Some even joined back when we had a legitimately-elected, sane
government in this country, and have been stop-lossed.

[Dhalgren]

9. I agree with you, but guided=lead, to me...

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. The WH strategy will be to continue to demonize

anyone who doesn't support the war.

They never offer any real solutions. They have to blame everyone else for their mistakes. I expect this will escalate with tonight's speech. Bu$h will do everything he can to further divide the country on this issue. That is all he knows how to do.

[wake.up.america]

3. Common Sense beginning to creep up on Americans?

This is a battle against idiocy.

If America had not lost a single life or caused the loss of a single life the invasion could still be considered idiotic.

Now that the body bags are coming home at a higher rate, people are starting to wonder.

Should have thought about it earlier, even if the deaths of US boys and girls are the only measures of supporting idiotic wars.

Stop the mad man, stop yelling USA USA every time Bush talks about freedom on FOX NEW NETWORK.

Values count, not the waving of flags and the thumping of Bibles!!

This whole nightmare might encourage America to think more clearly. I hope so.

No one on the planet, no nation is an island.

Peace and Love

[Mountainman]

5. Bush can't quit until the neocons get control of the oil.

Just like * can't give up on privatizing social security because the greedy wall street merchants want the management fees, the neocons want the oil in the Mid East.

So tonight we will be treated to a series of lies intended to make us feel good about the status quo.

I really hope people are buying it this time.

[woosh]

7. Mid-term elections can't come soon enough

as far as I'm concerned.

[confludemocrat]

8. "Iraq is the most dangerous but the one he has the most control over."

Who writes this shit? Some surburban-raised punk-faced college boy or girl with no experience in life, let alone history awareness or the world. The bastard has a "wolf by the ears" is what this means to me, anyway.
Remember though, he will emphasize "victory" which these rural voters, he supposes, would like to hear. I think they just want out of this one this time. But what Demos are using this as an "opportunity"? The opportunity is to speak the truth and draw clear differences from Repubs about the thoroughgoing wrong of this war. They probably will just take it as an opportunity to stick out their chests and hold up their hands and say "look at me, I am Democrat, so pick me". But they will need to draw some distinctions or 2006 will look like 2002 and 2004 all over again.