Bush could EASILY get a 20% boost in approval

[AWD]

...and he never will do what it takes to get that. Never.

All he would have to do is go on TV this Sunday night. Look straight into the camera and say "things are not going as well in Iraq as we had expected. I apologize."

If he only admitted an OUNCE of a speed bump and said the word "apologize", he'd skyrocket again. He wouldn't even have to say WHAT he was apologizing for.

The sheeple would EAT IT UP, and all the disillusioned war hawks would FLOCK back to his side. "He said he's sorry...what more do you damn liberals want?", they'd scream.

But, thankfully for the patriots of America....he'll NEVER do that. He has no idea HOW to apologize.

And THAT is the true Achilles Heel of the Republican Party. They have no ability to apologize.

[Democat]

1. You are right on both counts

He would see a big jump, and he won't do it.

[liberalhistorian]

2. Shrubby apologize for ANYTHING,

least of all Iraq? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hoo, boy, Jeff, you really do have a good sense of humor, you know!

Seriously, you're right that all he'd have to do was make a blubbering, crocodile-tears speech, complete with his door knob of a Stepford wife, Laura, by his side, staring at him lovingly and adoringly, their pot-smoking, binge-drinking, Secret Service-abusing, selfish, spoiled little rich girl daughters standing next to Laura, and their dogs at their feet with tongues hanging out! The sheeple are so gullible, it really makes me sick!

[MercutioATC]

3. It's not a characteristic unique to Republicans

It sems to me that most people (perhaps , most visably, politicians) have a dificult time admitting fault.

I could find the cite with a search, but I was at work all night, so I'm tired...which Congressman made a public statement last week that he made a mistake when he voted for the IWR? THAT got my attention and, had he been from my district, would have probably gained him my vote.

I've yet to se a Dem candidate who voted for either the Patriot Act or the IWR just say they're sorry. PEOPLE are generally stubborn about admitting mistakes, not just Republicans.

[bryant69]

4. Apology is pretty foreign to his nature

And he's got people out there that are going to pretend that all the bad things never happened. Rush Limbaugh was out last week claiming that President Bush never claimed Iraq was an imminent threat.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[pansypoo53219]

14. bet Bar

never made him say he was sorry.

[Kahuna]

5. I agree. I also agree that he'll never do it.

:puke:

[Jennellist]

6. Nah. That's not how politics works

Bush would get skewered for such a statement. It would be painted as additional evidence that the man is so incompetent that he has no choice but to make such an incredible admission. Politicians know they don't win elections by thanking the incumbent for being so candid. He'd be excoriated to smithereens for this. And we couldn't wait to do it.

[tabasco]

7. I respectfully disagree

It would come off as a cheap political ploy. There is not an ounce of sincerity in Bush's soul, and any apology would come off as phony. The right would see it as weakness and dump him. The Iraqis and our troops continue to die. A complete sea change in policy is necessary, not just "I'm sorry".

[bryant69]

10. Well,

I don't think anybody's denying that change in policy is necessary or, more to the point, that a change in President is necessary. It's just a comment on the weakness of President Bush; he can't admit mistakes.

[mandyky]

8. The arrogance and inability to admit mistakes

are 2 of the many faults of this administration. I guess this is what was meant when dumbya was running, by loyalty being the most important quality in staff and cabinet members. Loyalty to a man, not our country or our constitution.

I cannot bear to watch DoD and other briefings any more for all the spin.

I got a bit off topic, but I am not sure about the 20% bump. I think a lot of freeper type personalities like the smirking chimp being arrogant - they call it leadership.

[bluesoul]

9. I don't think so

Actually he could even lose more by admiting he was wrong all along about Iraq and that he lied about it. Many of the die hard republicans would never accept such an apology, as you just can't be wrong about Iraq and in their eyes they're all terrorists, even if there is no proof whatsoever. Saying sorry can also mean admiting a lie, saying you're incompetent and have no place in a presidential palace. So I wouldn't be so sure about the skyrocker aproval once he did it. Maybe it would only mean a faster slip down the sloap. :kick:

[qb]

11. Great analysis of Shrub's pathological inability to admit fault

http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/2002/09/20_Bush.html

Bush The Fool: Shame on You
by Mark Crispin Miller, Author of "The Bush Dyslexicon"

What was it that the president just could not bring himself to say? "Shame on me." The president could not say "Shame on me," not if his life depended on it -- an inability that's perfectly in character. Search all throughout the mammoth archive of his off-the-cuff remarks (and his scripted statements, too), and you won't find a single moment of self-criticism, self-doubt, ambivalence, or even open-mindedness or simple curiosity. You'll find a lot of pseudo-Christian boilerplate, but not a hint of genuine contrition. Hence, Bush's tongue went AWOL at the prospect of admitting error, weakness, or shame -- and so he had to quote The Who instead.

[TexasEditor]

12. That's like saying...

that he's not too far off from his poll position before 9/11. Saying he's sorry won't bring back the dead U.S. troops from Afghanistan or Iraq, the millions of lost jobs, restore the budget surplus, improve the tarnished image of our nation, etc, etc.

[Drifter]

13. I disagree ...

because even if he apologized, that would not change the situation. Now if he followed the words "I Apologize" with something like, "And as a result of my mistakes, and lies, the US will begin bringing home our troops immediately, resulting in an immediate transfer of power back to the Iraqis".

This would probably result in a 20% increase.

on edit: Added this -> "Don't listen to what they say ... Look at what they do"

Cheers
Drifter

[spooky3]

15. I agree

Apologies are worthless if the wrongdoer turns around and does the same thing again. Without a new commitment to honesty, fairness, eschewing of greed and corruption, and other principles, "I'm sorry" would mean nothing.

[izzie]

16. I may well be in error but did not Bush say something like this?

He was Prez so he did not have to explain why he did things? I seem to recall thinking he was not "king" and did not get his rights from God as the kings liked to use.He had to go by the rules and he seems to be helping him self to the whole gov as a personal toy to play with.

[Snellius]

17. That won't get jobs, get us out of debt, or keep us being shot

This latest drop in Bush's poll ratings is not just a matter of spin or pr manipulation. It's a true facing up to the reality of the facts. Oddly, one of the best quotes of the day, doesn't come from Bush's critics but from one of his conservative allies, Bill Kristol:

"Until about two weeks ago they believed their own propaganda that all was well in Iraq and at home," Mr. Kristol said. "But reality has set in, and they're hard-headed in dealing with the problems they face."

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/23/politics/23BUSH.html

[wtmusic]

18. The best we can expect is 'We've made mistakes'

'I'm sorry'? Never in a million years.

[7th_Sephiroth]

19. Being a multimillionare with strong political ties means

Never having to say sorry

[11 Bravo]

20. There are two types of individuals

whom neither apologize nor entertain doubts about the "rightness" of their actions. Those are zealots and cretins. Lucky us. With * we got a "two-fer".

[einsteins stein]

21. Fascism Mean Never Having To Say You're Sorry

and boy, doesn't Bush put the Dic in Dictator?

[Hanuman]

22. I don't think he'd get much of a bump--

if any.

And I don't believe that concept is even in his lexicon of words and ideas on this issue.

He has prosecuted the Iraq war in exactly the way that he intended. The only thing that doesn't fit into his game plan is the fact that we've turned up no WMD. And that is not the stake in the heart of the war, as hawks view it.

Hawks believe that the weapons we're either hidden or destroyed in secret prior to the invasion-- or perhaps they we're destroyed a long time before, but proof was not provided to present the appearance of a still-armed Iraq in the hopes that the US will not seek to put it's troops in harm's way.

The loss of several hundred troops, while regrettable, is not a tremendous blow to the military and are not significant numbers compared to the size and scope of the overall operation.

So- from THIS perspective, though it would be a real turn-on for many democrats and lefties, it is really rather absurd to think that Bush feels he has anything to apologize for.

[MrPrax]

23. Wrong...

and apology might be throwing fish guts to sharks...

The media wouldn't have plausible deniability anymore...
And if mistakes were made then some of those fish guts would have to come from a very big fish!!
Rummy? Rice? Wolfie? maybe Cheney using his 'heart condition' to ride the pine?

In context, this band of criminals have broken numerous domestic and international laws...
It ain't just politics...the stuff on 911 alone could kill him if the Media did half of the attack they did on Whitewater...

Again I worry about the fact they won't be elected and their Mission to purge the world of evil...they might start doing desperate things

A war might save them (a scary thought I know)

[Hanuman]

25. I agree with a lot of what you say, MrPrax, but

I'm always a little mystified when folks claim that the media is cowed by BooshCo. into not pursuing stories that could certainly "take him down."

You honestly don't think there's a single outlet including the relatively anti-Bush New York Times, Boston Globe, L.A. Times or CNN, CBS or NBC that have the cajones to step up and present the case?

I see it differently. I certainly believe that these outlets would try to take him down, if they had the bullet-proof case to do it with.

I just don't think the evidence is there to take it the American people- perhaps just not yet. Perhaps in time we'll get more evidence.

[rucky]

24. I Say The Same Thing About The Dem Candidates...

who supported the Iraq resolution.

Have any of them apologized?