Black Box Report

HALP!!!

For the past three years, it's been a recurring theme: another new poll, another record low approval rating for President Bush. This week he's down to 32% in the ABC/Washington Post poll, and a mere two months from tying Harry Truman for the longest stretch below 50% approval (38 mos). But as much as we may try to ignore him and preoccupy ourselves with picking his successor, we're still stuck with him for another year:

When following the presidential horse race, it's easy to forget that we currently have a president. It's comforting for two thirds of the country to think about what lies ahead and not what we have to cope with for another year. But it should be at the front of every conversation about politics right now -- whoever is elected will take over from the worst, and most disliked administration in our country's history.

3 out of 4 people think the country is on the wrong track. Even the Republican candidates are talking about change, apparently in the hopes that we won't remember which party was responsible for the state of affairs people want a change from. But inside the bubble where public opinion doesn't matter, Bush and some of his 32% think he's gonna turn this thing around any minute now:

He's a poll cellar-dweller whom even GOP presidential candidates sneer at, but George W. Bush and some congressional backers see happy days for the prez this year. His fans have dubbed it his "legacy year," when they hope to lock in his achievements on the domestic front. Among the items Bush's GOP congressional allies want to work on this month: continuing his tax cuts and extending the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. As for the war, they say, the news has been good, and Bushies believe that their guy will eventually get credit for opening the war on terrorism. But more immediately, they are predicting a remarkable poll shift to about 45 percent favorable by the time he leaves office next year.

45% approval? I'll take some of that action...anyone care for a bet?

Who’re they (kiddin’)’? The only way Bush can top 40 percent at this point, is if he resigned, admitted that he was as incompetent in his present job as we all know he is, and spilled enough dirt on Dick Cheney to get him impeached. That would guarantee Bush a rapid and record rise in popularity.

Finally, in a post titled "But Will He Smash The Game Board?", Atrios warns that a president this unpopular may not feel compelled to make a graceful exit:

What happens when after you place a mediocre narcissist quite literally at the center of the world for a while, the clock ticks inevitably to the time when that will no longer be the case. How will he behave?

Back in high school I babysat for some neighbors' kids. They were good, but one of their friends had a bad habit of knocking all the pieces off the board when he was about to lose. Let's hope the president doesn't display the same lack of maturity.

...Although it would explain his obsession with Iran.