December 21, 2005
President Bush’s approval ratings have jumped sharply, from a career low of 39 percent to 47 percent, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.
The successful election in Iraq is thought to be part of it, but I also think his forcefulness in recent days and taking on the cut and run crowd in congress and the media has helped. People like a strong leader and they want to believe that the president knows what he is doing and where he is going and wants to take us.
My question is: what took him so long? Why the weeks of silence when the approval numbers were headed south? There has been too much talk about “changing the tone in Washington” and not enough about defeating the opposition. Politics isn’t about social niceties. It is about winning arguments and crushing your opponents. Liberals understand this. Too many conservatives and republicans prefer to be liked.
It is better to be respected than liked. Respect comes from conviction and success. That’s where the president’s focus should be and when it is – consistently – the number of people who like him may also go up.
