Op-Ed: When Success is More Important Than Polls

As the New York Times reported recently: "Congress failed once again Friday to shift President Bush’s war strategy in Iraq, but insisted that they would not let up."

Their explanation for their latest foiled effort seemed to boil down to a simple question: “What else are we supposed to do? On the front page of Washington Post is an analysis of the recent successes that Bush has accomplished from Iraq to North Korea to the budget deficit as they point out that his approval ratings have stopped their downward spiral but have not revived themselves yet. As the Washington Post reports:

The war in Iraq seems to have taken a turn for the better and the opposition at home has failed in all efforts to impose its own strategy. North Korea is dismantling its nuclear program. The budget deficit is falling. A new attorney general has been confirmed despite objections from the left.

After more than two years of being buffeted by one political disaster after another, President Bush and his strategists think they may finally be getting back at least a bit of their footing. While still facing enormous challenges, from the crisis in Pakistan to the backlash over children's health care, they hope Bush has arrested his downward spiral and established a better foundation for the remainder of his time in office.

In many ways, the shifting political fortunes may owe as much to the absence of bad news as to any particular good news. No one lately has been indicted, botched a hurricane relief effort or shot someone in a hunting accident. Instead, pictures from Iraq show people returning to the streets as often as they show a new suicide bombing. And Bush has bolstered morale inside the West Wing and rallied his Republican base through a strategy of confrontation with the Democratic Congress, built on the expansive use of his veto pen.

Yet none of this has particularly impressed the public at large, which remains skeptical that anything meaningful has changed and still gives Bush record-low approval ratings.....

Interestingly enough the article missed a major revelation in an otherwise balanced and obviously begrudging analysis. President Bush doesn't have and hasn't been basing his decisions on poll numbers and approval ratings because as of next year his term is up, so he has been able to focus on but one thing: his job. The business of the country, success in our endeavors, National Security and turning around the situation is Iraq without the mill stone of his "next" election around his neck like an albatross that guides his every decision. In the meantime, those that have been basing all their decisions and actions on polls and their next election, the politicians in Congress, have watched as their approval ratings continue to plummet to record lows, and their disapproval ratings have spiked to record highs, with the latest AP/Ipsos disapproval rating at 70 per cent in a survey done this month. Other polls from the link above, include NBC/Wall Street Journal conducted from 11/01-05/07 which has their disapproval rating at 68 per cent; ABC/Washington Post from 10/29 to 11/01/07 has their disapproval rating at 65 per cent; Quinnipiac from 10/23-29/07 their disapproval rating at 70 per cent. Fox poll, the poll all liberals hate the most, actually has the disapproval rating the lowest at 54 per cent disapproval rating. White House counselor Ed Gillespie said:

"A year ago, people were saying that the president and Republicans in Congress were ignoring any sign of bad news out of Iraq, You could make a compelling case today that Democratic leaders and Democratic members in Congress are ignoring any signs of good news out of Iraq. But the American people see the benefit of the surge."

Yes, but it is a good thing the American public isn't ignoring all the news coming from Iraq and the numbers supporting have risen steadily over the last 3 months. I still say, the Democratic politicians have but two choices: Choice #1: They can acknowledge what is right in front of them and risk the ire of their far left, liberal base, like MoveOn.org and Code pink and the liberal bloggers that have shown they will "go after" anyone that dares speak up and tell the truth. (As they have done with Brian Baird and what they call the Bush Dog Democrats) Choice #2: They can continue to ignore the progress and success that is being seen in Iraq and mollify their far left, liberal base, while they alienate the moderates of their party and the independents. We are waiting with bated breath to see which of those two they choose and if they will make that choice in time to stop those approval ratings from hitting single digits. All in all it is safe to say that when success is more important than polls and the next election, it is easier to get what needs to be done, accomplished, and when polls are the guiding factor, nothing gets done. All we have to do is look to the 110th "Do One Thing Congress" to prove that point.