MSNBC: In the tank even for RINOs.

My good friend Greg directed my attention to the following headline on MSNBC’s web site:


McCain suffers in polls despite criticism of Iraq


From that phrase we are to surmise that Senator John McCain, who is vying for the 2008 GOP nomination, should have experienced an increase in popularity due to his criticism of the Iraq war.

But the story itself indicates that McCain’s recent drop in the polls was due to his support of the President’s deployment of additional troops.


Last month the Arizona senator came out strongly in favor of George W. Bush's "new way forward in Iraq", which involves sending another 21,500 US troops into the field. Since then, his poll numbers among registered Republican voters and among the US public at large have fallen sharply.


Of course, that’s just an assertion to say McCain’s numbers have tanked because he supported the President’s troop surge. Another GOP contender, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, has become the early front runner for the nomination. Giuliani has certainly been a stronger advocate for President Bush’s Iraq policy than has McCain.

Just yesterday, Public Opinion Strategies released poll results regarding specific questions surrounding the Iraq war.


- By a 53 percent - 46 percent margin, respondents surveyed said that "Democrats are going too far, too fast in pressing the President to withdraw troops from Iraq."

- By identical 57 percent - 41 percent margins, voters agreed with these two statements: "I support finishing the job in Iraq, that is, keeping the troops there until the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security" and "the Iraqi war is a key part of the global war on terrorism."

- Also, by a 56 percent - 43 percent margin, voters agreed that "even if they have concerns about his war policies, Americans should stand behind the President in Iraq because we are at war."

- While the survey shows voters believe (60 percent- 34 percent) that Iraq will never become a stable democracy, they still disagree that victory in Iraq ("creating a young, but stable democracy and reducing the threat of terrorism at home") is no longer possible. Fifty-three percent say it's still possible, while 43 percent disagree.

- By a wide 74 percent - 25 percent margin, voters disagree with the notion that "I don't really care what happens in Iraq after the U.S. leaves, I just want the troops brought home."


The aforementioned poll numbers seem to provide solid evidence to debunk MSNBC’s story. If anything, McCain supporting the surge would have served to enhance his candidacy amongst registered Republicans.

I guess the liberal spin machine mainstream media can’t accept the fact that their favorite GOP senator is merely second fiddle to Giuliani……at least in the early stages.