The Obama option, or the Cheney option?
According to Rasmussen, 58 percent of those polls want Umar Abdulmutallab, also known as the “Panty Bomber”, to be shipped off to Gitmo and have aggressive interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, be done to him in order to ascertain what Rasmussen: Most Want Umar Abdulmutallab Waterboarded he knows about terrorist operations. Only 30 percent oppose.
Sounds like a useful campaign issue this fall…
Of course, the real issue is not the interrogation techniques, even if some commenters here want to divert it to that. It’s whether or not he should be interrogated at all. The administration has effectively preempted that by granting him Miranda rights. That will be the campaign issue.
Evidently Obama isn’t playing for short-term popularity.
Evidently not. It’s a twofer — bad policy and bad politics, which means we can start to fix it next fall.
If one’s objective is to wage jihad against the United States by blowing up an airliner with concealed explosives, as Umar Abdulmutallab tried, then that to me quickly qualifies one as an enemy combatant to be held and interrogated.
Obamacare is not popular, either. If he won’t defer to the people with regards to their own healthcare needs, he surely won’t acquiesce on the issue of national defense.
Obamacare is not popular, either.
In part that’s because of opposition from people who don’t think it’s ambitious enough (e.g. they want single-payer or a public option).
I expect the panty-bomber trial to be in the noise as 2010 voting issues go. Unemployment will be the issue that swings the composition of the House.
It will be way more than Unemployment which will still be bad this November. It was way more in 94 and that was a picnic compared to what is going on now.
I say we turn Mr. Abdulmutallab, Jr. over to the custody of Mr. Abdulmutallab, Sr..
The man probably didn’t do that good a job raising Jr. that Jr. got in with a bunch of murderers. But Sr. really stuck his neck out, literally considering who we and Sr. are collectively up agains, by ratting Jr. out.
Mr. Abdulmutallab, Sr., seems to me to be very upright, Old World, and Old School, and somehow I think that Sr. could get farther with “straightening out” Jr. within the confines of the family than can the U.S. authorities with the restrictions they are under.
And as to any intelligence to be gotten from Jr., Sr. has pretty much told us what we need to know, as if anyone would listen, anyway. So I am perfectly serious about this: turn Mr. Abdulmutallab, Jr. over to whatever justice his parents are willing to deliver.
Yes, but those zealots are a small portion.
Jim,
Obama is always about short-term popularity. It’s all he knows.
Still waiting for your answer on Obamacare. How do you see it improving your life? Do you want the Senate version to become law?
Obama is a lawyer and sees the issue from a legalistic perspective. Clinton had the same problem. The Department of Defense is larded up with lawyers writing ever more restrictive Rules of Engagement, resulting in hesitation and uncecessary casualties.
Lawyers will be the death of America.
According to this poll, 12% disapprove of the health care bills because they think the bills don’t go far enough. Those who want ObamaCare-or-more outnumber those who oppose the bills from the right.
I see ObamaCare improving my life by restraining health care inflation, and leading the way to a future where my employees will have the flexibility to choose better coverage options than the ones I can offer today. It also will improve my life by making coverage affordable for friends who go without it today. Either of the bills would be an improvement over what we have today.
As for the 1994 comparisons, the big difference is that the GOP was the more popular party then. It’s the opposite today.
According this poll, a majority of people think Obamacare will make things worse — more than twice as many as those who will make things better.
“As for the 1994 comparisons, the big difference is that the GOP was the more popular party then. It’s the opposite today.”
Uhhh….NO. Democrats were leading the Generic Ballot till a few weeks before the election in 94. They haven’t led the GB in months now. Republicans tend to outperform the GB in the Congressional races as well. Things are looking very ugly for the Dems and overall are trending worse.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/generic_congressional_ballot
Go to http://www.pollingreport.com/cong_rep.htm (and the matching cong_dem.html page) to view polling on approval ratings for Congressional Republicans and Democrats. Voters disapprove of both, but Dem approval is highe.
I will stick to Rasmussen Jim. His track record since 02 has been unmatched. They called the 04 and 08 Presidential elections more accurately than anyone else as well as the overwheming majority of down ticket races. They also most recently called the NJ and VA Gubernotorial elections with remarkable accuracy.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/partisan_trends
More from Rasmussen today on this very subject.
I will stick to Rasmussen Jim. His track record since 02 has been unmatched.
And the fact that he says what you want to be true is just a coincidence.
They called the 04 and 08 Presidential elections more accurately than anyone else
Funny, Investor’s Business Daily/TIPP claims to have had the most accurate 2004 poll.
So, what does Rasmussen say about the approval ratings of the Congressional GOP vs. Congressional Dems?
The Left viewed Rasmussen was the Gospel Truth during the declining GWB popularity, so why the hate now?
“And the fact that he says what you want to be true is just a coincidence.”
Actually, sometimes a Cigar is jsut a Cigar.
“Funny, Investor’s Business Daily/TIPP claims to have had the most accurate 2004 poll.”
They can claim in one hand and wish in the other. In agregate, Rasmussen by far has the best track record. And he called the spread on the 04 race within about a half point. Why dont you research Rasmussen’s accuracy claims yourself?
Everything that the Republicans and right wingers are condemning President Obama for around this case, has been done in the Bush administration without a peep from these same people. However, their tactics are working beautifully on massive numbers of gullible people causing mistrust and hatred of President Obama. In addition, I do not understand why some Blacks like Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab let themselves be used. We have enough problems in our own communities to resolve rather than taken up the misinformed causes of other people.