Backlash

A question that i have been asked frequently since arriving in the US, is what the American opinion of their Commander in Chief is (that's the president if you didn't know!). My understanding is that South Carolina is a republican state and always has been - and is not considered a swing state in the elections (a state where opinion is known to change - these are crucial for the presidential candidates and are where the game is won or lost). Thus, you would expect a lot of the people to be wholly in favour of their president - yet this seems not to be the case. A look around the streets as i wander around reveals lots of signs declaring support for the Democrats,and their last candidate John Kerry. Furthermore, engaging people in conversation reveals a similar picture - a bitter after taste left by Bush' victory in both 2001 and last year. Of course, when considering this, you have to remember that i haven't spoken to any non-city folk who, as i understand, are much more staunchly conservative. And you also have to wonder if people with anti-Bush attitudes actually went out to vote for the opposition.

This attitude, it appears, is not confined to South Carolina and their seems to be a general feeling of distrust, anger and bewilderment at just what exactly George W. is doing right. This week, for instance, he came on TV to announce that he had 'a plan for Iraq' that will be easily implemented and allow US forces to be removed within a couple of years. The plan was met somewhat with scorn and a lot of criticism in the media. And then later in the week, 19 US soldiers were killed in Iraq - one of the worst weeks since the war was declared 'over' by El Presidente. What with this, and other setbacks of late - the response to Hurricane Katrina, the withdrawal of his Supreme Court Candidate - it seems that the Bush administration is going through a tough time. My only hope is that the same is happening for Mr. Blair in the UK