When Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan rioted over a Newsweek report about "Quran abuse" by U.S. troops, the White House bellowed that the magazine had blood on its hands. Never mind that a U.S. Army report recently confirmed all kinds of Quran abuse, and that U.S. troops have tortured and killed detainees.

And so on, and so on.

The latest bad news for the president is his declining poll numbers. He has received sub-50-percent approval ratings since April. The latest Associated Press poll, mirroring other recent surveys, finds that 55 percent disapprove of his job performance, versus 43 percent approval.

On the issues, the AP poll finds that Americans disapprove of his handling of the economy by 54-43; on health care, education and the environment, 57 percent disapprove, while 40 percent approve; on foreign policy and the "war on terror" he's down by 52-45; on the Iraq war, 56 percent give thumbs down, versus 41 percent who approve; and on Bush's top domestic issue, Social Security, 59 percent disapprove, while just 37 percent approve.

The president's much-vaunted "political capital" from a narrow November victory looks, for now, pretty much spent. Six months into his second term, things aren't going well.

For example, General Motors announced it will lay off 25,000 people, one-sixth of its domestic work force.

The president's "town hall" campaign to pitch partial privatization of Social Security — only those who agree with him may attend — has fared so badly that support for his still-vague "plan" actually has dropped. (Bush apologist Neil Cavuto actually suggested that the reason for American's failure to buy into the scheme — we kid you not — is that "the Michael Jackson trial was being a bit of a distraction for" Bush. Nice try.)

And independent observers undermine the White House's stubborn assertions of progress in Iraq. Rod Norland, Newsweek's Baghdad bureau chief for the past two years ("I went to Iraq as an unabashed believer in toppling Saddam Hussein") has written a sobering assessment of the war that goes far beyond the nearly 1,700 U.S. dead. Here are some quotes from his essay in the June 13 issue:

"The most powerful army in human history can't even protect a two-mile stretch of road."

"The four-square-mile Green Zone ... could be a showcase of American values and abilities. Instead the American enclave is a trash-strewn wasteland of Mad Max-style fortifications."

"Some of the worst ambassadors in U.S. history are the GIs at the Green Zone's checkpoints. They've repeatedly punched Iraqi ministers, accidentally shot at visiting dignitaries and behave (even on good days) with all the courtesy of nightclub bouncers."

"Most of (the $7 billion in taxpayers' money for reconstruction) goes to U.S. contractors who spend much of it on personal security. Basic services like electricity, water and sewers still aren't up to prewar levels."

And: U.S. troops will be in Iraq "probably for years to come."

In other words, the 56 percent of Americans who disapprove of Bush's Iraq war aren't just petty naysayers.

No doubt that the administration has something up its sleeve to counteract the plummeting polls. They're good at this stuff. Let's just hope it's not a military strike on, say, Iran.

But increasingly, Americans are refusing to be distracted when their own good sense tells them things aren't as great as the White House claims.

© 2005 Daily Camera

###