KATRINA AND THE POLLS

The notion that the president’s passive response to Katrina has led to a big drop in support isn’t borne out by the polls, Mark Blumenthal argues. Good news for Bush? Nuh-huh. The worse news is that Bush had slumped before Katrina and his Katrina handling rating is actually better than that for any other policy, including Iraq. The big shift that Katrina has prompted is the response to the question of whether Bush is a “strong and decisive” leader. He has cratered on that question, which was always his strong point. Check this graph out. Ouch.