The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

According to the latest CNN/ORC poll, 45% of the public approves of the job President Obama is doing, while 52% disapprove (net -7%). Those numbers are closely in line with most polls, where the president averages an approval rating of about 45% and a disapproval rating of approximately 50% (net -5%). That isn't the pointless part of the poll, however. Here was a CNN headline from today: "Bush now more popular than Obama." That's right; CNN decided to compare the approval ratings of the current president, who's been in office for 6.5 years, to the president before him, who hasn't been in office for the past 6.5 years. Here's how CNN's Jennifer Agiesta decided to word things: "...For the first time in a decade, more Americans say they like him (Bush) than dislike him. According to the poll, 52% of adults had a favorable impression of George W. Bush, 43% unfavorable (net +9%). When Bush left office in 2009, only about a third of Americans ...

A big story is being made about a new Gallup poll which shows that more people now have a favorable view (49%) than an unfavorable view (46%) of former President George W. Bush. It's the first time since 2005 that this has occurred. In my opinion, this is about as big of a story as the fact I wrote with a pen at one point today. First thing's first, Gallup has about as solid a reputation over the past year as Mitt Romney does of smooth-talking women. Secondly, toward the end of his presidency, Gallup had then President Bush at 32% approval. Other polls had him even lower than that. Lastly, Bush has been out of office now for 4.5 years. Given the fact less than one-third of the people in this country approved of the job he was doing as president toward the very end of his tenure, I'm sure there are a great number of people, myself included, whom have a much more favorable view of him out of the Oval Office than in it. How much easier is it to compliment a person who ...