Typical of this administration, I'd say.

Are you kidding me? Bush made the entire WORLD hate americans! Obama is nowhere near as deep a hole as Bush has dragged our country's image into! You're lack of intelligence on the matter is clear as day. Stick to board games.

At least in terms of relations with foreign leaders. Whatever else you might say about Obama, his ability to handle interacting with the other leaders of the world is negligible, at best.

Bush ruined this country. By far the worst president in U.S. history. Economic ruin! Education system ruined.

terry, Obama's still got time. Bush wasn't attracting global animosity this early on either. I think the point of this is more that Bush would get crucified by the media and the American population for something like this. Everyone just wants Obama to be everything he was supposed to be.

I don't know where else to mention it, but it's interesting that Poland should be struck by such a tragedy only to have a freaking volcano spew ash and prevent foreign dignitaries from attending. They're a pretty catholic bunch with the late president being quite religious. I mean, it's just bad luck to me, but I wonder how this must all look from a religious perspective.

who cares, it's 1901.

And yet Obama is managing to top it. Debt approaching three times the size of Bush's, health care system ruined, and a year and a half in he STILL blames Bush. His approval is at historic lows for a reason.

Are you for real, spitfire8125? Obama's approval rating is at historic lows? Really? Where did you get that? Fox news? Obama's approval ratings are still hovering around 48 percent, depending on the poll. And what was Bush's when he left office? Around 22 percent. Just don't say everything that pops in your head. Do a little research first. And I won't even get into your other "points."

Do a little research? I'm a political science major, I do 'research' every day. Perhaps 'historic' lows was a little excessive, I grant you that. But people are beginning to realize that 'hope and change' Obama is NOT what they expected or really wanted. But we've drifted off topic anyway. TRY to tell me that he's good at handling relations with foreign leaders. His style, his manners, everything, are laughable.

It's your lack of intelligence that is clear as day, terry32smith. Are you such a Bush hater that you can't even see when Obama is making a pretty bad decision? The leader of one of our closest allies dies in a plane crash, and he goes to play a game of golf when he can't make it to the funeral. I don't see anything wrong with him playing a lot of golf, so long as he's talking about work out there, but surely he must know how that would look in Poland?

Plus, a criticism of Obama is not automatically a defense of Bush.

This is just laughable. So...when Bush left office and almost every nation on the face of the earth hated the US, that was because he was such a good diplomat? Come on. this is just a real sad attempt to push the Republican agenda. I know that Obama isn't perfect. But...he is leaps and bounds ahead of Bush.

Obama's numbers are low for a President at this time in his first term. Take from that what you will, but 48 percent or whatever is low for this period historically.

Historic lows?!?!?!?!?1 Yeah Right! Invictus...Spitfire, you should switch majors we don't need another ignorant republican ass in any political office exaggerating & distorting the truths. Please drop out and work in a metals shop.

That may be so. I am not even prepared to argue that point as I have not really looked into historical comparisons. If anyone has any data I bet everyone would be happy to look at it. I am simply arguing the points that were brought up that I knew were not just inaccurate, but ridiculously inaccurate. That is all.

@Invictus:
That would actually be because the Republican party has decided that the best strategy is to do everything possible to destroy Obama. The entire right wing propaganda machine has been attacking him from before he was elected. Since the electorate is so divided, this causes a lower approval rating at the highest it could be. Anyone Republican, or with Republican leanings, generally isn't giving him a fair shot. Some did when he said he would be bipartisan, but Republicans found a way around that one too.

Bush, on the other hand, was given a chance by most Democrats and independents, especially after 9/11.

It is a clever strategy, because I can see no counter Obama can affect on his own. If the economy turns around in a big way, the Republicans could have major problems with the non-true believers. On the other hand, I think it is a pretty cynical and unpatriotic strategy.

You're just an idiot who's ignoring facts. I even just said to take from it what you will. It might not matter, but it still exists.

His first year was the lowest for a first term President since Gallup started with polls. It's still around 48% which is low compared to Jimmy Carter at 57% at the same time or Bill Clinton at 52%. I personally don't think it's too important, but it's still reality.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx
http://therobalution.com/2009/12/08/gallup-obama-lowest-rated-1st-year-president-in-history/

Tantris, I was trying to make a purely diplomatic point. The Republicans have nothing to do with him insulting Poland like this or making Brown do the run around for a meeting or meeting Netanyahu in pretty much in secret and help to derail peace talks over the very minor and in all other discussions not deal-breaking building program in East Jerusalem.

Surely we can talk about Obama on his own terms by now without knee jerking back to Bush?

Now, now Invictus. Using the "I" word just means that you cannot refute an argument. No one her is making this personal. This is just a debate. The difference is that there is a minority in this country that is totally pissed that they "lost" and are throwing a temper tantrum. Thus the polls. Thus the Senate needing a supermajority to do even the most mundane work. It is quite sad.

And the President historically almost never goes to a state funeral. That has been the job of the VP for many years. Which is why this thread started anyway.

@Invictus:
If we were to be completely fair, the behavior of Bush towards other countries was really horrible. He threatened, bribed and blackmailed them to get them to do what he wanted. He lied and tricked, through agents. If you want, I can back these assertions up with facts.

The US image has risen greatly since he has been president. Obama playing golf is not going to be an unforgivable sin. Perhaps, if he was clearing brush, it would be a better image?

I did just refute the argument. With data.

The point is he's been all thumbs diplomatically. Even if that doesn't get through the domestic media you can bet it plays abroad. Obama, even if you saying things are "better" is true, can still be dumb and hurt our relations. Poland is a very close ally whose President died in a terrible tragedy. I completely understand why he couldn't get there, but him playing golf then was stupid. Obama can do stupid things.

lol, Bush was crap, so it's ok if Obama is slightly less crap? No one here is saying that Bush was a good president (in this thread at least). Obama apologists should stop using Bush as a scapegoat for everything. 'Bush supported the war in Iraq, so who cares if Obama sends more troups over there.' 'Bush spent billions on the wars, so it's ok if Obama spends trillions of dollars on something.' It gets real annoying when you guys continue to support him despite the fact that he is the EXACT SAME person as our last president, but with a blank check from congress.

I thought this argument could not get any farther from truth. I was wrong.

Lowest approval rating in US Presidential history? Bush? Clinton? Nixon? LBJ? Reagan at 11% unemployment? No, Harry Truman when he prevented Stalin from taking over South Korea and fired MacArthur for insubordination. Would anyone like to argue that that poll result is correlated at all with the quality Truman as a president or the decisions in question? While I happen to think Harding was far less bad than his reputation, to cavalierly rank any current president as worse than say Hayes or Grant or any number of profoundly corrupt guys from the 19th Century seems ridiculous. Andrew Jackson single handedly caused the greatest economic crisis in the Nation's history, as distinct from global events like the Panic of 1873 (the first Great Depression) or the Great Depression. He also brought about the second secessionist threat, humiliated the Supreme Court and voided property rights and civil liberties of groups he disliked.

Can you read? Obama has the lowest rating of a President for this time in his first term. It's not the lowest altogether, just for this specific circumstance.

I don't think you understand Invictus. No one cares. The ratings are skewed due to Republican fanaticism as Tantris said. They won't go much higher ever, I would guess. But, they won't go down much.

That seems unlikely.....Reagan's lowest were the summer of his second year down in the 30s. Maybe if one counts by the week. It seems unlikely Obama will break much below 40 this summer.

That is not true.....Republicans were about as negative as possible in the first few months....the drop in Obama's numbers since say March of last year is Independents changing their opinions of him.

And for a president who has just passed a health care bill that has been tried for 80 years and is working on hitting Wall Street with new regulations for the first time in decades, I think 48% is pretty good.