Hello

by digby

Not that it’s relevant since the only polls the village cares about are ones that reinforce their own narrative, but this seems interesting to me:

Less than half (48 percent) of those questioned now say they approve of President Obama’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan, down from 56 percent in April. While a majority of Democrats still approve, just 31 percent of Republicans agree.

Fifty-two percent of Americans say the war in Afghanistan is going at least somewhat badly for the United States, and just 37 percent say it is going well.

[..]

The poll results are at odds with what NATO and U.S. commanders on the ground say they need. Military and civilian sources say top U.S. commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal is likely to request more troops for the Afghan war later this year.

I would guess that we are going to have a domestic Battle Royale over Afghanistan that makes health care look like tiddly winks before this is over. Pelosi said earlier that the supplemental this year was one of the hardest votes she had this year, and for good reason:

Health care is not the hardest vote I’ve had this year. Not by far. That was the [war] supplemental. That was the worst. Energy was a heavy lift. But you’re talking substance. You’re discussing issues with people. But we had never thought we’d have to do another supplemental. Not that we would have to vote for. But then the president brought home the IMF and Republicans all took a hike. Then we were stuck with it. Oh brother! That was the hardest. Budget, stimulus, those were all heavy lifts. None of it is easy. But you get ready for things like energy, health, education, and budget. But the supplemental? That’s where we have to do a heavy lift? We all said we were never ever voting for this again. But in any event, I think the administration knows that that was it.

Does anyone think Rahm isn’t going to do the same thing next time, looking for similar results? And with only 31% of Republicans now supporting the troops, what happens then?

The poll has another interesting element that is of no use to anyone because it doesn’t reinforce the village view that the whole country is as much in favor of torture as they are:

According to the poll results, half of the public believes the Justice Department’s appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate interrogation tactics used by the CIA is a good idea. Just 38 percent say it is a bad idea.

You’d never know that from listening to the gasbags, would you?

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