Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Most Americans say they aren't impressed by the ethics and honesty of the Bush administration, already under scrutiny for its justifications for an unpopular war in Iraq and its role in the leak of a covert CIA officer's identity.

Almost six in 10 -- 57 percent -- said they do not think the Bush administration has high ethical standards and the same portion says President Bush is not honest...

Of course, the radical GOP base -- which isn't just out of touch with mainstream America but with reality -- is still hopelessly deluded:

...Whites, Southerners and evangelicals were most likely to believe Bush is honest.

And his arrogant inflexibility, his refusal to represent as many Americans as possible instead of his extremist base, has also been noticed by numerous voters:

[Bush is] also seen by an overwhelming number of people as "stubborn," a perception reinforced by his refusal to yield on issues like the Iraq war, tax cuts and support for staffers under intense pressure.

More than eight in 10, 82 percent, described Bush as "stubborn," with almost that many Republicans agreeing to that description. That stubborn streak has served Bush well at times, but now he is being encouraged to shake up his staff and change the direction of White House policies.

"[W]ith almost that many Republicans agreeing..." Not only has Bush lost the all-important swing voters, he's lost Republicans who normally turn a blind eye to his many flaws and blatant deceits.

And then we have a "thumbs down" on the Bush Administration's attempt at damage control:

The mandatory White House lectures on ethics for its employees came after the Libby indictment, and some people say they aren't impressed.

"It's like shutting the barn door after the horse escaped," said John Morrison, a Democrat who lives near Scranton, Pa.

The real kicker of the poll is the public's support for the war on terrorism.

During the last few months of abysmal poll numbers, Bush's one saving grace (according to most surveys) was that the public approved of his general approach (ill-defined as it is) to combating terrorists with foreign policy initiatives, despite the massive disapproval of the war in Iraq; that support has dwindled to a pale shadow of its former self:

Only 42 percent in the new poll said they approve of Bush's handling of foreign policy and terrorism, his lowest rating yet in an area that has long been his strongest issue.

Finally, the poll reiterates how important it is for the Democratic Party to stop listening to idiotic consultants with piss-poor track records; the party needs to uniformly condemn the Iraq War:

The war in Iraq is at the core of the public's unrest, polling found.

In an AP-Ipsos poll in early October, almost six in 10 disapproved of the way Bush was doing his job, and Iraq was a dominant factor.

When those who disapproved of Bush were asked in an open-ended question the top reason, they most frequently mentioned the war far ahead of the second issue, the economy.

The Democratic Party should now know exactly what the American people want to hear in 2006. People who complain about the Dems lacking a clear vision need to be presented with two twenty-eight word plans: One for getting our troops out of Iraq ASAP, and one for expanding both fairness and growth in our economy.

In 2006, the Dems should be seen as the positive solution to the country's ills, not the lesser of two evils.