Bush Poll Ratings Go Up Despite Iraq Troubles

 

Jim Malone

Despite a difficult last few weeks in Iraq and continuing questions about how and why the Bush administration took the country to war there, the president's public approval ratings have gone up in two recent polls.
The new poll results may offer some comfort to White House aides concerned about how the upsurge in violence and increasing U.S. casualties in Iraq are playing with the American public.
A USA Today-CNN-Gallup poll shows the president now leading Senator John Kerry by five points. The same poll had Mr. Bush trailing his presumptive Democratic opponent by eight points in early March.
A similar turnaround for the president was noted¹ in a poll conducted by ABC News and the Washington Post. In addition, both new surveys suggest a growing number of Americans want to send more troops to Iraq to help stabilize² the situation there.
Some analysts⁴ were surprised that the president's poll numbers are actually improving, given the uncertain situation in Iraq. But American University presidential scholar Allan Lichtman is not one of them.
"A focus on national security and defense⁵ only helps the president. That is where the president, despite all the bad news of the past few weeks and months, that remains⁶ where the president's great strength lies," he said.
Another strength appears to be that a majority of Americans see President Bush as a strong leader who means what he says, something the president alluded⁸ to himself during a speech this week in Buffalo⁹, New York.
"See, in order to make the world more peaceful it is essential that those of us in positions of high responsibility speak clearly and mean what we say. So when I said that if you harbor a terrorist you are just as guilty as a terrorist, I mean it," he said.
William Schneider, a political analyst³ at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, says Americans historically look for presidential leadership in times of war. "It is resolve. He is a man of formidable resolve who defies his critics when he decides something is the right policy," he said. "He carries it through whether it is tax cuts in 2001, which were not widely supported in the electorate¹⁰, or the war in Iraq where he defied most of the entire world."
The new poll results may be good news for the president in the short term, but all recent surveys indicate that the presidential race is still very close. Senator John Kerry told NBC's Meet the Press that he has weathered a recent barrage¹¹ of critical television advertisements from the Bush campaign and is now launching an ad campaign of his own.
"I am thrilled with where I am right now. The Republican Party has spent $50 million in a matter of seven weeks to distort my record, to completely mislead Americans about me and about my record. Now we are in a position to respond and introduce myself to the country. I look forward to that," he said.
But Senator Kerry appears to have made little headway with voters, despite the bad news from Iraq in recent weeks. Senator Kerry sided with the president in the congressional debate before the war on Iraq and analysts say he has had difficulty in drawing sharp differences with the president over how he would handle the situation in Iraq beyond more involvement from the United Nations.
"I think Kerry is suffering the death of a thousand cuts from his advisors," said Mr. Lichtman. "That he is in danger of going the way of Al Gore¹², that is, not knowing who he is or where he stands until he consults his pollsters, his ad-men [advertising specialists] and his handlers."
The Kerry campaign appears determined¹³ to counter that view with a new round of television advertisements in which the presumed Democratic presidential candidate will outline his plans for a safe and secure America and for greater international involvement in sharing the burdens in Iraq. The Kerry ads will run in 17 so-called battleground states which both campaigns believe will be closely contested in the November election.

注释：
concerned about 挂……念的，担……心的
upsurge [Qp5sE:dV] v. 急剧上升，高涨
casualty [5kAVjuElti] n. [pl. ] [军] 伤亡（人数）
presumptive [pri5zQmptiv] adj. 推测的
allude⁷ [E5lju:d] vi.（与 to连用）暗指
Buffalo [5bQfElEu] n. 布法罗（美国纽约州西部一城市）
essential [i5senFEl] n, 要素，要点
formidable [5fC:midEbl] adj. 强大的,
defy [di5fai] n. 挑战
distort [dis5tC:t] vt. 歪曲，曲解
involvement [in5vClvmEnt] n. 牵连（连累）的事务
advisor [Ed5vaizE(r)] n. 顾问

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 allude   

v.提及，暗指

参考例句：

• Many passages in Scripture allude to this concept.圣经中有许多经文间接地提到这样的概念。
• She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles.她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。

8 alluded   

提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In your remarks you alluded to a certain sinister design. 在你的谈话中，你提到了某个阴谋。
• She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles. 她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。

9 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

10 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

11 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

12 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

13 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。