Financial Times:
For three years after the invasion of Iraq, it was difficult to drive more than a few miles through middle America without seeing a car displaying a magnetic yellow ribbon.
The magnets, bearing the slogan "Support Our Troops", became a symbol of patriotism for millions of US motorists.
But as support for the war fades, demand for yellow ribbons has collapsed.
Magnet America, the largest manufacturer of the product, has seen sales fall from a peak of 1.2m in August 2004 to about 4,000 a month and now has an unsold stockpile of about 1m magnets.
The problem here is that the right has successfully confused supporting the troops with supporting the war in the minds of the public. People who had these magnets on their cars weren't showing their support for the troops, they were showing their support for Bush.
As Bush's numbers sink lower and lower, support for the war drops as well. A Diageo/Hotline poll shows Bush's favorability at 35% -- anemic -- while a CBS News/New York Times poll puts his disapproval at 71% on the issue of Iraq. Bush has lost the war at home.
Of course, Bush could be excused for not giving a damn about his approval ratings. He's done. But the president still needs supporters -- now more than ever -- to get his agenda through. And they have good reason to care about Bush's approvals. These days, if you hitch your wagon to Bush's star, you'll be lucky to go anywhere but down. Which is exactly the direction that John McCain's campaign is headed...
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Tags: news | politics | war | Iraq | Bush | John McCain | Rudy Giuliani | poll | elections | 2008 | republican
