POLITICS: Military support for President George W. Bush is declining.

Military Times magazine has reported that support for President George W. Bush has dropped to 54 percent from 63 percent a year ago.



I think that this was coming. With such a high divorce rate by soldiers, its no wonder that the poll numbers are showing a drop in support. Thank God i'm out of the service!!

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This doesn't surprise me. As you stated divorce rates are up, the massive injuries, rising death toll and length of deployment. Any of those alone would logically drive the number down. The combination though makes me surprised the number is still so high.

I wonder how many of those polled were national guard vs regular army? It would be interesting to see if there is a significant difference in numbers between the various groups.

This probably won't bode well for further incursions into Syria or Iran.
I would be interested in how this poll broke down between officers and inlisted men, different services, Male and female troops.

As far as this relating to future military actions, its irrelevant. The soldiers don't get to tell the country what they want to do, thats why its called 'The Service'. We're in for a crapstorm if we're going to start polling soldiers and using that to set policy.

And what about the obverse of this poll? His numbers are declining, but, despite the casualties, despite the big drop in the polls at home, despite the extensions in service, the majority of the troops support the president.

The title to this thread should be changed to read "Military support for President George W. Bush's Iraq policy is declining."
Emphasis mine.

There is a big difference.

WHAT? He has a "policy"?

I like that, Bush's policy. Thats funny stuff. In his defense though, how many of us like our boss? Mine doesnt even send me to kill people in the name of liberation.
I also applaud the post reminding us that it is "service." People dont join the military because they are political scientists trying to change the world. A soldier's job is to follow orders without question, not approve of the job. If there are huge moral convictions, there is always Canada...

I can't say this is a surprise, the military has never been as arch right as the arch right likes to pretend. My father was a Naval officer, a top secret ARFCOS courier during the hottest parts of the Cold War (he delivered the orders to the USS Nautilus for Operation Sunshine among other things) and was (gasp!) a lifelong Democrat.

It also gives lie to the notion (repeated like a mantra by the loony right) that opposing Bush's policies == hating US soldiers and the military. After all, if 40% of the US military is opposed to Bush's policies, does that mean 40% of the US military hates the US military?

People dont join the military because they are political scientists trying to change the world

If if someone did, man, that'd be someone to keep tabs on.

from DaFunk13 If there are huge moral convictions, there is always Canada...

What do you mean? That Canada has "moral convictions" that some others don't? Or that Canada was always an easy place for the confused and cowardly to slip over to? Because, believe it or not, there is no draft.

from xmotex
I can't say this is a surprise, the military has never been as arch right as the arch right likes to pretend.

Surprise, surprise. People join the service not because of republican or democrat but because of a sense of patriotism and maybe they feel that they owe something to the country. Or maybe they want the benefits.

Don't confuse what the Democratic party has mutated into as representative of real Democrats.

I seem to recall the DEMOCRATIC candidate for president last time around making sure that nobody forgot that He served in Viet Nam, by golly!

My family was filled with Democrats and veterans. Big deal.

After all, if 40% of the US military is opposed to Bush's policies, does that mean 40% of the US military hates the US military?

Exactly my reason for suggesting a change in thread title.

I seem to recall the DEMOCRATIC candidate for president last time around making sure that nobody forgot that He served in Viet Nam, by golly!

Yeah, and the far right tried to attack his service record too.
Despite the vocal support of those who actually served under his command.

The fanatical right seems to think that the have a monopoly on patriotism and service, and that they can attack combat veterans like Max Cleland, John Murtha, and even John Kerry with impunity despite their records of service, for being "cowardly", when the accusers themselves never faced an enemy on behalf of their country. Take Dick Cheney who boasts about his multiple deferrments as an example.

The simple fact is that opposing the Iraq War is not a matter of lack of patriotism. Plenty of us who oppose the war do so out of patriotism: we think it's been bad for our country, it's undermined our position of moral leadership, it's undermined our military, put our traditional alliances at risk, all for little if any real gain. The much ballyhooed "threat" from Iraq simply didn't exist in any realistic sense.

If Bush had simply finished the job in Afghanistan (unlike Iraq, a necessary war in my opinion, and that of many others) and focused on finishing off Al Quaeda, I think you'd find the divisions within the US, and the tension with many of our traditional allies, would not exist now.

But instead we chose to invade a nation that had not attacked us, had no real ability to attack us, to unseat a regime that was already quite effectively contained and impotent. And handed Al Quaeda the best recruiting campaign they could have hoped for. This was a grave strategic error, and one that many patriotic Americans feel has done a great disservice to our country.

As much as you people would like to pretend that "against the war in Iraq" == "anti-American", it simply isn't true. I and many others are entirely in favor of taking military action when it's in the legitimate defense of our country. Our problem with the Iraq War is that it simply doesn't meet that standard.

Good now all U.S needs is a god damm military coup or should i say a counter coup and remove the criminals throw them on to lions and alligators

from xmotex As much as you people would like to pretend that "against the war in Iraq" == "anti-American", it simply isn't true

What's with this "you people"? When did I ever say that?

I'm not going to re-visit Vietnam except to say that when he got out of the service and was contemplating his future, Kerry said that he wasn't sure whether it was more or less advantageous to be against the war.

That's your hero. That's how honest he was.

xmotex said it. I am against the war because it is destroying our world perception. We are a peaceful nation. We are the "melting pot." We dont conquer nations. This administration doesnt speak for most of us.
Also, I made the joke about Canada because it is much more liberal politically than the states. Someone who moves to Canada doesnt necessarily have to be a "coward" as you put it. I have some best friends who moved there for healthcare, good schools, less violence, and an overall better quality of life on average. Let alone they arent out starting wallstreet wars. I still live here. I LOVE AMERICA. I am proud to be america thanks to the MLKs, the Malcolm Xs, the Chief Josephs, JFKs, Cesar Chavezs, etc... There is a long history of the population standing up for whats right and changing the status quo. You cant do that everywhere.
Our biggest strength is our unity, or at least it used to be.
When there is injustice, whether home or abroad, the people have united to change it. Whether it was slavery, womans rights, or a currupt leader, we can make a difference. History will show this as another one of those situations that has peppered our short time as a country. We will fix this and make America a better place. We WILL bring her back to her glory. I will be able to say I am a proud American because the people stood up for what is right, and things were changed.
You call us crybabies, and liberal idiots.
I call us the backbone of this great nation.
It is people that question leadership, and fight to make things right that have made you so proud to support this goofball president. You wouldnt be so proud if your women still couldnt vote, and blacks had seperate bathrooms, and Native Americans were non-existant, and there were no unions, or workers rights. These are just a few examples. I wont write a manifesto (I'm definately not a writer), so I will wrap this up...you all get my point...

Nice post, DaFunk13. I just wish you wouldn't inject things that were never said (You call us crybabies, and liberal idiots ) or try so hard to convince yourself that it was solely you and yours that bring good change to this country.

It's your right to protest against whatever. That doesn't automatically make you a hero, though. That makes you an American who is exercising his rights. That's all. Somehow, you equate that with patriotism.

Your political leanings are more toward socialist and communist than the aveage American, but that's OK, too. That's part of the benefits of being an American.

And finally, here is the my main objection to you:
"It is people that question leadership, and fight to make things right that have made you so proud to support this goofball president."

I've said it a dozen times at least - your problem is that if people do not automatically hate a president, or a political party, then you are quick to categorize them as far right-wing. You preach exclusion when you do that, can't you see?

I didnt mean that you personally called us crybabies or liberal idiots, but it has become more than obvious that this is the overall feeling of most Bush supporters. We arent second guessing a shaky leadership, we are "unpatriotic." I am sure you have read as much of this board as I have. Am I wrong?
I also never said it was the left that always changed things for the better. It just seems that the left has been the one to change things for the common man. You cant please everyone. I just think a little compassion, and liberal thinking would help a greater percentage of the poplulation enjoy a better existence. If this makes me communist or socialist so be it.
And on the second note, I dont hate the president. I strongly disagree with his policies, and I hate to see people so complacent to complete disregard to personal freedoms, not just here but abroad. I am not trying to draw a line. This is what I am preaching against. I am for UNITY. I dont care if you support Bush, or are ashamed of him, I just want to see open-mindedness (if thats a word). If we all blindly follow, we will never advance.
I consider myself one of those fence sitters politically. I dont identify myself with either. I judge things on individual issues, not the polarity of politics. The world is not black and white, and politics is no different. I apologize if I seemed to automatically chalk you up as a Christian Conservative Terrorist, as I did not intend to.
I also want to thank you for disagreeing with me without being a dick. Not many people here are capable of civilized debate.

That's your hero.

Kerry is not even remotely my hero, but the man did his duty, period.
Honestly I think he's a bit of a stuffed shirt, and a hack, but that doesn't invalidate the fact that he served his country under fire.

As far as "you people" goes, give me a break. I have had my patriotism questioned on here by so many right wing nuts it's not funny. It's like fighting an army of identical robots, all armed with the same talking points, all saying the exact same things. Say whatever you will about the war's opponents but we're hardly marching in lockstep.

These numbers may be misleading. Check this out:

Pentagon Orders Soldiers to Promote the Iraq War

So is it an act of treason if they don't comply?

I have great faith in the decency and honor of the individual members of the American military. A great number of them are people who simply didn't see many good options for school or work so they signed on the dotted line and put on a uniform.
My father and his four brothers each fought in WW II who signed up on December 8, right after Pearl Harbor. Two of them were career military men, and they were all lifetime Democrats who loved this country. Before he died in 2002, my Dad told me he thought George W. Bush would be among the worst American presidents ever. So far, he's on course to be perfectly correct.
Domestic spying, an illegal war, using intelligence "leaks" to punish his political enemies, and, just learned today, taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from Jack Abramoff, a GOP lobbyist known for bribing government officials. He is a disaster for America, and young men and women are dying thousands of miles away for his corrupt and cynical policies.
Shame on George W. Bush.

Couldnt have said it better Vuoto. Its the dedication to freedom your father and uncles showed that have kept this country afloat, and its people like Bush who will destroy it. They signed up the day after Pearl Harbor to fight a clear enemy with an intent to destroy something we hold dear. 9/11 was not anything like this.
Where is our clear and defined enemy?
Where is our unquestionable leadership?
I am glad you can remind everyone why we should be proud to be Americans, and why we should be ashamed of George W Bush.