Via Jonathan Martin, check out a post by DLC'er Will Marshall regarding a Democracy Corps poll on assorted national security related issues.
The poll itself includes loads of cautionary news for Republicans for all the expected reasons, including President Bush's low approval ratings and Iraq fatigue. Nonetheless, some additional notables from the analysis of the poll:
Despite this favorable environment, the new survey shows both the Democratic candidates for president, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, trailing behind McCain...The fact that McCain runs ahead even in this Democratic-leaning political environment sends a sobering message: this is a change election that Democrats could lose. [emphasis added][snip]
There is a bloc of 12 percent of the likely electorate, "Democratic Wanna-Ds," who say they would vote for a Democrat in a generic presidential ballot, but then do not pick either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama in the named ballot match-ups. Most of these Wanna-Ds, 57 percent, are moderate-conservative Democrats, while 29 percent are self-described independents; a fall-off in support from the moderate-conservative Democrats is a major reason both Clinton and Obama are now trailing.
[snip]
* Democrats now trail by 29 points (28 to 57 percent) on the question of which party would do the better job "ensuring a strong military." Last October, this deficit was only 22 points.
* Similarly, by a 27-point margin (54 to 26 percent), voters see Republicans, more than Democrats, as the party that "respects the military."
* And by 21 points (50 to 29 percent), voters say that "not decisive enough in a crisis" describes the Democrats more than the Republicans.
Marshall also says:
Only 18 percent of Americans favor the anti-war left's demand for an immediate and total pullout. In fact, Democrats should emphatically distance themselves from the left's antics and excesses, such as MoveOn.org's sophomoric attack last fall on "General Betray Us."
However, I didn't find that statistic in the full survey so his source is unclear.
Either way, even in what is now considered to be an inhospitable political environment for Republicans, Democrats still face a fascinating set of challenges. Their candidates continue to have fundamental problems passing the "commander-in-chief test" with the American people.
Posted by Eric Earling at April 09, 2008 07:54 PM | Email ThisThere's a reason why the vast majority of people serving in our military vote Republican. These people understand who is on their side and who is not. They understand that Democrats hold them in near-contempt. They understand that Democrats would much rather spend money on vote-buying programs than on beefing up our military.
John Murtha
John Kerry
Jay Rockefeller
Charlie Rangel
"General Betray Us."
"Military Free Zone" San Francisco
1. Americans don't like liars
2. Americans don't like people that hate America
The political in-fighting is just icing on the cake.
Posted by: Rick D. on April 9, 2008 08:54 PMEven CNN Baghdad reporter Michael Ware was on CNN tonight (while visiting D.C. from his usual Baghdad beat), commenting that (my paraphrase):
~~''More and more people are coming to realize (or should) that whoever wins the Presidency in 2008 will not be able to pull all or even most American forces out of Iraq on a short fuse like the left wants.''
Completely aside from and in addition to the huge logistics and force-protection problems that have to be considered in any case, as General Petraeus and others have correctly said:
Real progress has been made as a result of the surge, but it's still fragile. A precipitous pull-out ala the moonbats in moveon.org etcetera would almost surely lead to an exploding and expanding disaster. I don't know exactly what the end result of an all-out panic pullout would look like, but I know it would be really bad (the people who claim it can't get any worse have NO IDEA what they are talking about).
His biggest problem will be someone things has a done to piss REP voters off. ( border & other )
Good luck John, your going to need it.
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on April 10, 2008 06:24 AMEVERYONE LOVES A GOOD 100 YEAR WAR!
EVERYONE WANTS A WAR WITH NUCLEAR ARMED PAKISTAN!
Posted by: Rouser Rabble on April 10, 2008 11:41 AMEVERYONE WANTS A WAR WITH NUCLEAR ARMED IRAN!
If you screw up one war, just take war to a bigger, more technologically advanced, quasi-democratically oriented country.
Obama must be elected POTUS before he can start choosing SCOTUS. And that's not likely at this point.
The only reason that John Paul Stevens hasn't retired is that he doesn't want GWB to choose his successor.
A much more likely scenario is that McCain is elected, and shortly thereafter Stevens retires and McCain picks the next SCOTUS Justice.
After that, it could be a few years before another retires,. Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be the oldest after Stevens retires; she's 75 years old this year.
p.s. If Harriett Meyers got ramshackled in the hearings - you've obviously no idea how the gloves would come off with Hillary. She'd stand no chance whatsoever.
Posted by: Larry on April 10, 2008 03:51 PMEVERYONE WANTS A WAR WITH NUCLEAR ARMED IRAN!
No, he wants to bomb Iran to keep it from becoming a nuclear nation.
ALL THE DEMOCRATS WANT A NUCLEAR IRAN! THEN THEY CAN HAVE TERORRISTS NUKE OUR CITIES AS THEY WALK ACCROSS THE MEXICAN BORDER WITH THEIR SUITCASE NUKES!
If you give in to Iran in 1979 like Carter did, why not bend over and take it up the ass again.
Posted by: Rouser Rabble on April 10, 2008 03:53 PMDEMOCRATS: The best surrender monkeys in the jungle.
Posted by: Rouser Rabble on April 10, 2008 03:55 PMHe wants to bomb Iran for building a cheap source of renewable energy? That's not very nice.
ALL THE DEMOCRATS WANT A NUCLEAR IRAN! THEN THEY CAN HAVE TERORRISTS NUKE OUR CITIES AS THEY WALK ACCROSS THE MEXICAN BORDER WITH THEIR SUITCASE NUKES!
I THINK THEY WOULD COME ACROSS THE CANADIAN BORDER FIRST, MAYBE THEY CAN HITCH A RIDE FROM CUBA BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WET FOOT DRY FOOT POLICY. THAT WAY THE CAN BLOW UP MIAMI AND ALL THE GOP TV PREACHERS CAN RUN AROUND CLAIMING IT WAS GOD'S WRATH FOR HOMOSEXUALITY.
If you give in to Iran in 1979 like Carter did, why not bend over and take it up the ass again.
Why don't we go back to selling arms to both sides and let them duke it out again. That way we can preemptively strike both countries because we sold them the WMD's that we will claim they want use on us. That way we can loose three wars at once instead of the two we have now.
REPUBLICANS: The stupidest warmongers in the jungle. Factual evidence is just a misnomer.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9531.html
"DEMOCRATS: The fatest stupidest taxmoneygrabbers in the jungle. Their Pick Pocketing evidence is just a amazing"
Posted by: GS on April 10, 2008 05:16 PMA nation awash in oil and natural gas is in need of energy? Wow no wonder they were able to fool you liberals in 79 and take over the embassy. They must be relishing a chance for another Democrat administration. You'll have this nation dancing to Ahmadinejad's tune more often than one of his concubines he beats regularly.
"Why don't we go back to selling arms to both sides and let them duke it out again. That way we can preemptively strike both countries because we sold them the WMD's that we will claim they want use on us. That way we can loose three wars at once instead of the two we have now."
You have gone bonkers! We never sold any WMD to Iran. We haven't had relations with them since your boy Jimmah showed the world that Democrats were weak pussies.
"I THINK THEY WOULD COME ACROSS THE CANADIAN BORDER FIRST, MAYBE THEY CAN HITCH A RIDE FROM CUBA BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WET FOOT DRY FOOT POLICY. THAT WAY THE CAN BLOW UP MIAMI AND ALL THE GOP TV PREACHERS CAN RUN AROUND CLAIMING IT WAS GOD'S WRATH FOR HOMOSEXUALITY."
THEY WILL JUST COME ACCROSS THE MEXICAN BORDER THAT DEMOCRATS WANT TO ENSURE STAYS OPEN FOR INVASION. THAT WAY THEY CAN KILL WHITE PEOPLE WHO OBAMA'S UNCLE SAID INVENTED AIDS TO KILL BLACK PEOPLE. THEN OBAMA'S UNCLE CAN TELL ALL THE RELATIVES OF THE MILLIONS DEAD THEY DESERVED IT AND SHOUT GOD DAMN AMERICA. THAT WILL BE THE DEMOCRAT'S THEME, GOD DAMN AMERICA.
AT LEAST THE REPUBLICAN DOESN'T THINK WE DESERVED 911.
"REPUBLICANS: The stupidest warmongers in the jungle. Factual evidence is just a misnomer."
DEMOCRATS: The best friend Al Qaeda ever had!
Posted by: Rouser Rabble on April 10, 2008 07:06 PMAnd where is Jimmie Carter traveling to....He's going to meet with Hamas?
Who is Hamas? A terrorist group opposed to the Palestine-Israel peace talks
The US State department advised him against meeting with Hamas, and won't help him if he does.
Democrat's - Terrorists best friends!
Posted by: GS on April 10, 2008 08:43 PM