Bush continues to look soft across the country and Kerry has barely even made a move. I hope that Kerry's quiet campaign is a strategy, letting Bush sink his own ship on his own dollar. (Maybe Kerry is adopting the Ali "Rope a Dope" strategy? We certainly have a dope with Bush.) What surprises me though is that Bush still holds strong support for his "war on terror" because it is clearly a failure. That is one issue that I want to see Kerry address because it has been damned clear to me from the beginning that Bush's go-it-alone approach is a recipe for disastor. The Bush "war on terror" is leaving us more isolated in the world and much more prone to trouble. Europe is not always right, no more, no less than the US but we have to find a way to work together on this problem.
"Lifting Kerry is a powerful tailwind of dissatisfaction with the nation's course and Bush's answers for challenges at home and abroad. Nearly three-fifths said the nation was on the wrong track, the highest level a Times Poll has recorded during Bush's presidency.
Fifty-six percent said America needed to "move in a new direction" because Bush's policies had not improved the country. Just 39 percent said America was better off because of his agenda.
Majorities disapproved of Bush's handling of the economy and Iraq, despite recent encouraging news on both fronts.
Voters also preferred Kerry by about 10 percentage points when asked which man had better ideas for improving the economy and a better chance of building "respect for the United States around the world."
