Alterman links to this poll which ranks Dubya at the bottom of the presidential heap:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush ranks as the least popular and most bellicose of the last ten U.S. presidents, according to a new survey.
Only nine percent of the 662 people polled picked Bush as their favorite among the last 10 presidents. John F. Kennedy topped that part of the survey, with 26 percent, closely followed by Bill Clinton (25 percent) and Ronald Reagan (23 percent).
Bush was also viewed as the most warlike president (43 percent), the worst for the economy (42 percent) and the least effective (33 percent). But he was rated most highly in response to a question on who would do the right thing even if it were unpopular.
The survey was conducted by the Chicago-based National Qualitative Centers, a marketing research company, as part of research for a forthcoming book on popular preferences, one of its authors, Ken Berwitz, said on Friday.
And he serves up Chris Matthews, Media Matters' Presidential Suck-UpMisinformer of the Year:
As you may remember, last year our staff conducted an extensive review of all the misinformation we identified and corrected in the early days in order to name the first annual "Misinformer of the Year." We singled out one particularly egregious purveyor of falsehoods and awarded Bill O'Reilly the dubious title. O'Reilly graciously accepted the award on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor.
This year, of all the news anchors, columnists, pundits, and reporters whose work we've critiqued and corrected, one man stands alone as a clear successor to the O'Reilly throne. We are pleased to announce broadcast journalist, former newspaper bureau chief, former presidential speechwriter, and best-selling author Chris Matthews has earned the title of 2005's "Misinformer of the Year." At times, it has even been difficult to tell the difference between 2005's Misinformer of the Year and his predecessor.
Chris (heart) George, indeed. And he still hates Bill (with a passion). I'll never forget when Matthews came to Miami for a speech and during the Q&A, I asked him why, as such a history buff, literature and get this, theater lover and downright Northeastern dandy, Matthews was so enamored of the anti-literate Bush and so hostile to Bill Clinton. His answer: basically jealousy. Clinton is the sort of guy who flaunts his cigars and his girlfriends and his charisma 'bout the place, and it just pisses Matthews off. I'm paraphrasing but that's basically what he said.
Anyway, read the MMFA post. Matthews apparently thinks Dubya is as warm and wonderful as Santa Claus...
Ho ho ho.
By the way, Alterman links to a WSJ article by New Republic Deocon Lawrence Kaplan designed to "scare the Jews into getting back in line with the Neocon global plan" or some such-like. Here's a link to the article without the need for a subscription. (Reading it should erase any doubt that The New Republic is little more than a neocon/neoliberal rag, no different in substance from the Weekly Standard but designed to sell the Kool-Aid from the other side of the aisle.)
<%
dim done
done = request.form("done")
if done = "" then
done = "No"
%>
Tell a friend
<%
Else
if request.form("done") = "Yes" then
'sets variables
dim email, sendmail
email = request.form("email")
Set sendmail = Server.CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
'put the webmaster address here
sendmail.From = "webmaster@aspbasics.com"
'The mail is sent to the address entered in the previous page.
sendmail.To = email
'Enter the subject of your mail here
sendmail.Subject = "Check out this website"
'send a specific page or send a site url
dim url
'url = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
url = "http://www.aspbasics.net"
'This is the content of the message.
sendmail.Body = "Site recommendation from a friend!" & _
vbCrlf & vbCrlf & "A friend has sent you this email and thought you would should check out this site." & _
vbCrlf & url & vbCrlf
'this sets mail priority.... 0=low 1=normal 2=high
sendmail.Importance = 1
sendmail.Send 'Send the email!
response.redirect Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
'Response.write ("Sent to ") & email
End if
End if
%>
"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788
