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WHEN IN DOUBT, LIE. In Laura Bush�s interview yesterday with Fox News, in which she blamed the media for her husband's abysmal poll numbers, the first lady said this:
And I think right now what we're seeing with these poll numbers is a lot of fun in the press with taking a poll every other week and putting it on the news, on the front page of the newspaper. When his polls were really high, they weren't on the front page. (Emphasis added.)Really? Here's a list of headlines from The New York Times and The Washington Post about polls taken when President Bush wasn't on such hard times. Every one of these was on the front page:1) January 29, 2002, the Post: Bush and GOP Enjoy Record Popularity; Poll Finds Broad Support Despite Doubts on Economy2) March 11, 2002, the Post: Poll: Strong Backing for Bush, War; Few Americans See Easy End to Conflict3) July 17, 2002, the Post: Poll Shows Bush's Ratings Weathering Business Scandals4) Dec. 17, 2003, the Times: Bush's Approval Ratings Climb In Days After Hussein's Capture5) Dec. 23, 2003, the Post: Bush Gets Year-End Boost in Approval; Poll Shows Dean Surging Among Democratic Rivals6) March 22, 2003, the Times: Support for Bush Surges at Home, but Split Remains7) April 20, 2004, the Post: Poll Shows New Gains For Bush; Lead Over Kerry Widens On Issues of Security8) Sept. 10, 2004, the Post: Bush Support Strong After Convention; Kerry Favorability Rating Plunges in New Survey9) Sept. 28, 2004, the Times: Poll Shows Bush With Solid Lead; Despite Worries, Voters Cite Lack of Clarity From KerryNot bad, eh? This is despite the fact that I only checked two papers and didn�t even look all that hard. At this point, for the Bushies, lying is as easy as breathing.
--Greg Sargent
