USA Today: "Bush & his campaign advisers feeling pretty good these days"

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=676&e=3&u=/usatoday/20040917/ts_usatoday/buoyedbypollsbushshowsnewconfidence

In the unpredictable world of politics, leads in the polls and candidates' confidence can evaporate in an instant. But President Bush and his campaign advisers are feeling pretty good these days about his chances.

During a bus tour of Minnesota on Thursday, Bush exuded self-assurance. At a roundtable discussion on health care at a sports arena in Blaine, he prowled the stage with the sleeves of his blue shirt rolled up and a grin on his face. At a rally in a baseball stadium in St. Cloud, he told the crowd, "I want to win. And I know we are going to win."

That's not just happy talk. A Gallup Poll released Thursday showed that Bush's confidence might be justified. Among likely voters, he has extended his lead over Sen. John Kerry to 13 percentage points. Bush's support grew despite Kerry's new strategy of aggressively challenging his economic record and the war in Iraq, and despite renewed media focus on Bush's military service during the Vietnam War.

But a Pew Research Center Poll also out Thursday showed that the race is tied. Bush advisers believe he has established a 4- or 5-percentage-point lead nationally.

By next week, the state polls should start coming around to reflect Bush's lost bounce.

BTW, even if he did have a 4-5-point lead, that's poor for an incumbent. Incumbents who win are 15-20 points ahead at this point.

Of course, USA Today has to run this type of story to justify their horrible poll.

He is running in the GOP places and only they can go in and hear him and he tells them what they wish to hear. And that is freely on the news so we all know it.

Bush has a two point lead at most. And its not just Pew who had the poll a dead heat. Harris is at least as reputable as Gallup. But you won't hear that from USA Today.

It's what happened to the Japanese during WWII, in the 6 months between Pearl Harbor and Midway. Imperial Army and Navy felt that they could do no wrong...............Then they met the US Navy at Midway.


Could the debates by Bush's Midway?