SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT MIDNIGHT

DOWN, DOWN, DOWN – Gallup on Sunday recorded its lowest ever approval rating for President Obama – 38%.  The previous low was 39%.  We should note that other pollsters have the number somewhat higher, but the RealClearPolitics average stands at 43.6%.  This is a bad, but not a disastrous figure.  Even those who disapprove might vote for Obama next year if the GOP candidate is a disaster.  Also, the political season starts in earnest after Labor Day, and increased public attention may result in changes in approval numbers, up or down.

IS IT TRUE THIS TIME? – The Lockerbie bomber, outrageously released from a Scottish prison several years ago because he was said to be within a few months of dying, is now reported actually to be dying.  It's hard to know whether to accept this at face value, considering Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's miraculous recovery once his Scottish jailers threw away the key.  New documents that have come to light show that the British government was heavily involved in securing Scotland's release of the murderer in order to facilitate commercial transactions with Libya.

PERRY AND BUSH – A number of news stories report a growing antagonism between Texas Governor Rick Perry and the Bush family.  Perry is on record criticizing George W. Bush's "compassionate conservatism," and spokesmen say he won't back down from the criticism.  Bush loyalists are calling Perry an ingrate, for Bush, and Karl Rove, were instrumental in advancing Perry's career.  I would take this split very seriously.  One of the things that plagued Lyndon Johnson through his presidency, and helped bring him down, was the hatred of the Kennedy family, which had allies in the media and the universities. 

August 28, 2011