reality-based educator

This morning on CNN I learned from Wolf Blitzer, Ed Henry and the gang that Democrats are in disarray over the Iraq issue, the president and Republicans in Congress have the momentum going into this "pivotal week" when General Petraeus will issue his report on surge policy progress to Congress and the American people are starting to come around to the preznut's way of thinking on the war.

Cokie Roberts kinda said the same thing on ABC this morning.

Funny thing though - two polls released today show the exact opposite results.

First, here's what a Post/ABC News poll found:

Most Americans think this week's report from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus will exaggerate progress in Iraq, and few expect it to result in a major shift in President Bush's policy. But despite skepticism about the Petraeus testimony and majority support for a U.S. troop reduction in Iraq, there has also been a slight increase in the number who see the situation there as improving.

Fifty-eight percent, a new high, said they want to decrease the number of U.S. troops in Iraq. And most of those who advocated a troop reduction said they want the drawdown to begin either right away or by the end of the year. A majority, 55 percent, supported legislation that would set a deadline of next spring for the withdrawal of American combat forces. That figure is unchanged from July.

Only about a third believed the United States is making significant progress toward restoring civil order in Iraq, most said the buildup has not made much difference, and a majority said they do not expect the troop increase to improve the security situation over the next few months. Just one-third were confident the Iraqi government can meet its political and security goals.

Now the Post/ABC poll did find a 6 point increase in people who say the surge has made the situation in Iraq better, but you know what that 6 point increase brings the percentage to?

28%.

That's the percentage of people who think the surge has made things better.

Of course, for Cokie and the boys and girls at CNN and the folks at the Washington Post, that means "Mission Accomplished" - Americans are surging to back the preznut's surge policy of surging.

Uh, huh.

Let's be honest - the 28% who think the surge is working are the same 28%-35% who continue to think Preznut Bush is the bestest president ever.

If that's the best Bush and his war shills can do in turning attitudes on the war, they're screwed.

Unless of course the press refuses to report the actual numbers and reports GOP memes instead.

The NY Times/CBS poll is going to be released tonight and it mirrors the dismal numbers the Post/ABC News poll had on the war.

Unfortunately, the Times also writes the poll numbers up as if there has been a fundamental shift in attitudes on the war:

A majority of Americans say the United States made a mistake getting involved in the war in Iraq, and the increased numbers of troops in recent months has either made things worse or had no impact at all, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Still, more people now say President Bush’s troop buildup in Iraq, the so-called surge, has helped to improve the situation than said so last spring. With Congress deeply divided over the course of the war, Democrats and Republicans are waiting for the release later this week of a Bush administration progress report and testimony from General David Petreaus and others on Capitol Hill.

...

Sixty-two percent of those polled said the United States made a mistake getting involved in Iraq, 34 percent said it was not a mistake. In March 2003, just after the war began, only 24 percent of Americans said the United States’ involvement was a mistake, 70 percent said it was not a mistake.

There has a been slight increase in the number of Americans who say the troop buildup earlier this year is making the situation better in Iraq. While a plurality of 45 percent say the increase in troops had no impact on the situation in Iraq, 35 percent of Americans say it made the situation better, up from 29 percent in May. Military families are more positive about the effect of the so-called surge with 44 percent saying it made the situation in Iraq better.

The Times/CBS poll, btw, containe an oversampling of U.S. military members and their families, so we should take that into account before we crunch the numbers.

Nonetheless, the Times finds only 35% saying the surge has made things better. Once again, we're squarely in the middle of the 28%-35% group of people that love their preznut and believe Mr. Jesus is coming back on a big white cloud to vanquish infidels.

Again, if the best the White House can get is a 6 point shift in the publics' attitudes on the war, I'd have to say that not much has changed. Americans still overwhelmingly hate this war and hate this preznut for insisting it go on ad infinitum.

It's too bad the scumbags at CNN, ABC, the Post and the Times are so afraid to report the truth about the war and the publics' attitude towards it.

Are they as cowed by this preznut as Dems in Congress are?

Nahh, probably not.

They're even more cowed.

Can't wait to see how they write up the Iran attack.