LAT, Brownstein: Bush Faces Hurdles to Rallying Support on Iraq

Bush Faces Hurdles to Rallying Support on Iraq
Barring improvements in security, the president will struggle to reverse the erosion of backing for the war seen in recent polls, experts say.

By Ronald Brownstein, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — President Bush launches a major effort this week to reinvigorate support for the war in Iraq, but he faces a fundamental question: Can his words about the conflict still move public opinion?

Faced with rising criticism of the war, Bush hopes to persuade Americans to stay the course in Iraq.

But many experts believe that events now enormously outweigh arguments in shaping U.S. attitudes about the conflict. That means that unless security in Iraq improves, Bush may find it extremely difficult to reverse the steady erosion of support for the war evident in recent public opinion polls.

"If you look historically at polling numbers on military operations — leaving aside the second World War, which had sustained high support — the long-term trend is deterioration," said Eric V. Larson, a senior policy analyst at the Rand Corp. and author of a new study for the U.S. Army on public opinion and war.

"It is hard to imagine that long-term trend being reversed anytime in the immediate future , particularly based solely on rhetoric."...


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-iraqpol23jun23,0,1887072.story?coll=la-home-nation

each day. Erase/lie about EPA documents, FDA documents/reports... and others - and the mother of all... the DSM info - which the msm treats as "old news" - which presumes that the public is starting to realize that they were lied to in the first place. So now the recognized liar - is going to assuage the public which has turned against him? His WORDS? Hah! Only those who are die hard supporters will be persuaded... and that number continues to dwindle.

Is there a point where folks in the GOP start to tell him to shut up - as his growing credibility problem ... combined with his arrogance (keep pushing things just to "win" even when the public is against it) will bleed over and hurt the overall party - and start making "safe" reelections in congress... not so safe at all...??

:banghead::banghead:

Bush is starting a "PR Campaign" to change peoples' minds about our illegal invasion of Iraq. He's going to get up there, yet once again, and pound his fist on the podium with spit flying out of his mouth, and use the same rhetoric over and over again, ad nauseum.

We'll be treated to words like, "Democracy, freedom, liberty, terrorists, we're fighting them there so we won't have to fight them there etc etc barf etc.

And Bush is doing this, despite analysts saying it won't work. Based on "rhetoric". Now, I understand the Rand Institue is extremely conservative, so they may be understating the situation.

GOOD LUCK, GEORGE. My TV will be turned off. So will my radio. You are now OFF MY RADAR.