"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
...
George Bush is gone.

God does love America.

And America loves Obama...and hates Bush.

In with the new, out with the old
Mon Jan 19, 2:37 pm ET
It doesn't really matter which poll you consult — Zogby, Pew, Gallup —
they all show the same thing: Incoming president Barack Obama is
hitting new highs in public support, while outgoing President George
W. Bush is hitting new lows.

But there's no denying the numbers are impressive. Even Obama's
incoming numbers are handing Bush's a thrashing — a pre-inaugural poll
by Pew Research Center finds that 79 percent of Americans have a
"favorable impression" of the incoming leader. In 2001, George W. Bush
had to make do with 60 percent. Pew reports that Obama even has more
optimists on his side:


As is typically the case at this stage, most Americans think it is too
early to tell whether Obama will be a successful or unsuccessful
president. Yet optimists far outnumber pessimists (30% successful vs.
4% unsuccessful). At a comparable point in 2001, 26% said they
expected Bush to be successful, compared with 15% who said he would be
unsuccessful.

Perhaps more important, these optimists are also willing to be
patient. According to the latest New York Times/CBS News:


Most Americans said they did not expect real progress in improving the
economy, reforming the health care system or ending the war in Iraq —
three of the central promises of Mr. Obama’s campaign — for at least
two years.

In his victory speech at Chicago's Grant Park, Obama set the stage,
warning that there was a hard slog ahead:


"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get
there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been
more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there."

Not everyone is willing to be so patient, however. Conservative radio
host Rush Limbaugh lambasted Obama's supporters:


"They didn't give Bush a chance in 2000. Before he was inaugurated,
the search-and-destroy mission had begun. I'm not talking about search-
and-destroy, but I've been listening to Barack Obama for a year and a
half. I know what his politics are. I know what his plans are, as he
has stated them. I don't want them to succeed."

Bush isn't facing downhill numbers alone. Trust in his party is waning
as well. A Washington Post-ABC News poll reports that "just 23 percent
said they trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle the main
problems facing the nation."

But Bush is confident he will be remembered well, despite leaving
office with the highest disapproval rating since Nixon. In his
farewell speech to the nation, he defended his presidency:

"You may not agree with some of the tough decisions I have made, but I
hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."