Are People Finally Realizing the Truth?

Here's a pretty scathing article from the Washington Post about the quickly diminishing public opinion of Dubya. Most of all, it highlights the continuing nature of this administration's disconnect (or disregard) of popular concerns. One example: Instead of laying out strategies for moving forward, they are trying to tell us how well things have been going so far in Iraq and that our negative opinions are just a matter of perception. Now before you Republicans get your tighty whiteys in a bunch, keep in mind a lot of the assessments public opinion come from nonpartisan polling organizations.

Three years of upbeat White House assessments about Iraq that turned out to be premature, incomplete or plain wrong are complicating President Bush's efforts to restore public faith in the military operation and his presidency, according to pollsters and Republican lawmakers and strategists.

The last two weeks have provided a snapshot of White House optimism that skeptics contend is at odds with the facts on the ground in Iraq.
...
Michael Dimock, associate director of the nonpartisan Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, said a recent survey by his group showed the public skeptical toward Bush, about both his administrative competency and his personal credibility. Only 40 percent of respondents said Bush was trustworthy, a 22-point drop from September of 2003, six months after the invasion of Iraq.
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Frank Newport of the nonpartisan Gallup polling organization said White House efforts to turn around public opinion are complicated now because Bush is waging the wrong argument. His polling shows a majority of Americans agree with Bush that troops should not be pulled out immediately and that Iraq is better off now and will be in the future as a result of the invasion, two points the president made yesterday. Yet 6 out of 10 said the war was not worth it because, Newport said, the public does not see an upside for the United States. "The focus for Americans is Americans," he said.

Great timeline on the war here.