Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi essentially called Bush a liar on all this, saying “the fact that the president says it’s so doesn’t mean it’s so.” Really? Even Bush military critics like Gen. Barry McCaffrey now believe that significant progress is being made on turning the fighting over to the Iraqis.
Supposedly Bush will follow up with several more speeches on the war. If so, the new communications and marketing approach will yield high dividends -- not only for Bush’s political standing, but more importantly for the health and security of the entire United States.
And the public agrees. Friday’s Rasmussen poll puts Bush’s approval rating at 46-percent, several percentage points higher than it was in the previous poll. The RealClearPolitics polling average of Bush approval has moved into the low forties, which is also up several points. I continue to believe that Bush has bottomed.
Iraq improvement, a strong job-creating economy, lower gasoline prices at the pump, and a rising stock market all clearly favor a Bush political comeback. So will Republican congressional passage of budget and tax-cut legislation. Democrats who have been gloating over Bush’s political misfortunes are prematurely dancing on his grave. What’s more, the “Pelosi-Murtha” position of immediate withdrawal from Iraq is proving to be highly unpopular. Congressman Murtha’s latest anti-war broadside that the U.S. Army is “broken, worn-out” is an unmitigated disaster. So is Democratic failure to support Republican tax and budget cuts in Congress.
At long last, the second-term president may be seizing his bully pulpit. In doing so, he must take advantage of the weak Democratic opposition and build on his strengths, which include a strong economy and the many successes in Iraq that go unreported day after day. By repeatedly talking to the nation in plain-speaking terms about each and every success, the tides of optimism will rise in his favor.
Basically, this country will follow if the president leads. After all, help comes to those who help themselves. If Bush doesn’t do it, no one will do it for him. Presidential leadership requires strong communication. The commander-in-chief must also be the salesman-in-chief. That’s a political necessity. What we saw this past week was a good start, but the president must follow through.