Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

53% vs. 36% of registered voters plan to vote "Democrat" in next year's election.

68% are dissatified with the direction Bush has taken the country, and 56% say he won't be able to get much accomplished next year. Or at least they hope he won't accomplish much; what he calls "accomplishments" the rest of us call "horrifically-damaging acts against America."

65% say Bush's handling of Iraq is more akin to manhandling, and Cheney is deemed only slightly-more trustworthy than a used-car salesman with three ex-wives, crippling alimony payments, and a gambling habit equal to Bill Bennet's:

Fifty-two percent of Americans believe Cheney "deliberately misused or manipulated pre-war intelligence about Iraq's nuclear capabilities in order to build support for war," including 22 percent of Republicans and 54 percent of independents.

And then there's another problem: A substantial portion of the GOP's base seems to be taking serious anti-psychotics, because many of them no longer trust the White House.

Most worrisome for the White House: the base seems to be cracking. When asked whether anyone in the administration "acted unethically" in the case involving the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name, a 54-percent majority of Americans said they did--and 30 percent of Republicans said they did. And 45 percent of Americans believe someone in the "Bush administration broke the law and acted criminally"--including 22 percent of Republicans.

Now we know why the GOP is constantly trying to make healthcare and medication more expensive: Those high prices are the only means of keeping most Republicans in line.

Here's a parting thought: According to the poll, Bush -- who has always wanted to surpass Bill Clinton and his father -- now has a popularity rating of 36%. That number puts him even with Clinton's lowest number and four points above his father's lowest number; let's all do our part to help the Shrub beat that figure, and hit a low that surpasses both... say 25%.

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