AAR is broadcasting live from Washington DC today. Their website notes:
Bush Approval Rating Lowest Since Nixon
Amid the most biggest (Ed.: hee!) security lockdown ever for an inauguration, a new CBS/New York Times poll shows that President Bush has the lowest approval rating at the start of a second term since Richard Nixon. Bush’s 49 percent approval is below Nixon’s rating of 51 percent in January 1973 and Bush trails Bill Clinton’s 60 percent and Ronald Reagan’s 62 percent at similar points.
Every time an administration official repeats the words “mandate” and “majority” let’s just remember that approval rating, shall we?
And when they say “freedom and democracy” backed with “the protesters (in DC and along the parade route) are aligned with the terrorists” let’s just remember the words “free speech” and “totalitarian state” don’t play well, shall we?
yeah, but Karl Rove was on NPR this morning saying the mandate was the large majority in the vote, bigger than Carter’s, bigger than Clinton’s, etc.etc.etc. so there’s mandate and there’s mandate, and theirs is the one that counted, I fear.