Dubya's downward spiral

Even Alabamians, supposedly a pretty right-wing bunch, have little confidence in President George W. Bush.

Only 12 percent of respondents said they had confidence in Bush, according to a survey by the Alabama Education Association's Capital Survey Research Center in Montgomery. Another 47 percent said they had lost confidence in the president and another 31 percent said they had "doubts" about his ability.

The survey also showed that 53 percent of Alabamians said the Iraq war is "not worth it."

"Alabama may be a red state in national politics in the voting booth, and to read most of the Alabama press and watch local television news, you would think everybody in Alabama is a pro-Bush, religious conservative," writes Glynn Wilson at Locust Fork News. "But when asked their opinions by survey researchers, that's not what you find at all."

On the national front, a new opinion survey released this week shows a significant percentage of American voters believe Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have abused their powers to an extent that warrants impeachment.

The poll by American Research Group shows that 64 percent of American voters say Bush has abused his powers as president. Of those 64 percent, 53 percent (34 percent of all voters) say the abuses rise to the level of impeachable offenses, and Mr. Bush should be impeached and removed from office.

On Cheney, 70 percent of American voters say the vice president has abused his powers. Of those 70 percent, 61 percent (43 percent of all voters) say the abuses rise to the level of impeachable offenses, and Mr. Cheney should be impeached and removed from office.

The same poll shows Hillary Clinton (46 percent) leading Barack Obama (21 percent) and John Edwards (11 percent) in a national primary. On the GOP side, Rudy Giuliani (25 percent) leads Mitt Romney (21 percent), Fred Thompson (17 percent), and John McCain (12 percent).

It would be interesting to see the results of a poll about the Bush Department of Justice (DOJ). Given that large chunks of the American population either have lost confidence in Bush or believe he should be impeached, you wonder what they think about the notion that the Bush DOJ pursues politically motivated prosecutions. And closer to home, what do Alabamians think about their state courts? Do they have confidence in them? Seems an appropriate question to ask, considering that the same man who put Bush in the White House (Karl Rove) also shaped Alabama's Republican-packed state courts.