HEY, LET'S VOTE FOR A PRESIDENT WHO SUPPORTS POLICIES WE HATE!

Two polls. Poll #1:

Americans siding with Dems against Bush

As the Democrat-controlled Congress and the White House clash over an Iraq spending bill, ... the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that a solid majority of Americans side with the Democrats.

... the poll shows that 56 percent say they agree more with the Democrats in Congress who want to set a deadline for troop withdrawal, versus the 37 percent who say they agree with Bush that there shouldn't be a deadline.

What's more, 55 percent believe that victory in Iraq isn't possible. And 49 percent say the situation in Iraq has gotten worse in the last three months since Bush announced his so-called troop surge. Thirty-seven percent say the situation has stayed about the same, and just 12 percent think it has improved....

Poll #2:

Giuliani Now Leads Clinton In All Three Swing States; ... FLORIDA: Giuliani Up 49 - 41; Clinton, McCain Tied at 45; OHIO: Giuliani Over Clinton 46 - 41; McCain at 44 to Clinton's 42; PENNSYLVANIA: Giuliani Tops Clinton 47 - 43; McCain Up 45 - 43

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani leads New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and other Democrats in the 2008 presidential race in three critical states -- Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to Quinnipiac University's Swing State Poll....

(More results: Giuliani beats Obama in all three states; McCain beats Obama in Ohio, ties him in Florida, and loses to him in Pennsylvania; Giuliani beats Gore in Florida and Ohio and ties him in Pennsylvania.)

Where the hell is the war effect in these results? Why isn't it showing up? When, if ever, is it going to?

In a rational world, Giuliani and McCain would be hurting simply because of the "(R)" after their names. But nothing like that is happening. If anything, we may be seeing the opposite effect: Clinton, Obama, and Gore are hampered by being Democrats, even though the public agrees with the damn Democrats on the most important issue facing us (and a lot of other issues besides). Is it just that Republicans (with the help of the press) have simply succeeded in making "Democrat" a pejorative, while "Republican" still isn't?

Or are the Republicans simply better at looking like Daddy?

Please don't tell me it's early yet. How much more dissatisfied with the status quo can the public get? Bush isn't going to lose the base, and he's lost just about everyone else. Why haven't McCain and Giuliani?

(Quinnipiac poll via Taegan Goddard.)