You're repeating verbatim the claims of White House press releases, but the issue on the table is that only a minority of Americans believe those claims anymore. The numbers reveal that Bush has already lost the moderates who restored Republicans to power, and his support is contracting back to the partisan hard-core that'll back him no matter what. The same people who, to this day, swear that Nixon was framed.

You and Tom and the other True Believers are downright fanatical in your insistence that Bush is doing an excellent job, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary; and fanatic in your insistence that all the news that doesn't flatter Bush is made up. You called it "propaganda" in a post below, but you know, it's only propaganda if it's false. An alternative to the media conspiracy theory is easily found using Occam's Razor: Bush has thoroughly screwed the pooch, the media (except Fox) is simply reporting it, and there's a national consensus on the matter that shows up in casual references in places like TV show dialogue. Choose the least-complicated explanation that fits the facts.

In a specific example of Occam's Razor, you don't have to posit a media conspiracy to explain a reference to "the Iraq lie" showing up on a TV drama. "ER" is of the gritty reality genre, and a fundamental part of their style is to tie the stories to the real world wherever possible, to enhance the show's sense of realism. You noticed the "Iraq lie" line because of your political hypersensitivity, but if you can watch it objectively, you'll see allusions to the real world come up constantly. The line is significant not because it reveals a conspiracy, but because it reveals that the judgment of the American people has solidified against Bush and become part of our shared national consciousness to such a degree that it forms the backstory and context of "reality-based fiction".

(I can imagine that the phrase "reality-based fiction" is ripe for spinning, so to preempt it, let me be clear that I'm talking about a work of fiction that enhances its perceived versimilitude with references to things that are factual. The line "the Iraq lie" is based on the fact that a majority of Americans believe that the Bush Regime lied about Iraq. Uttering the line gave the character credibility--at least 55% of the audience agreed and sympathized, the remainder who disagreed recognized an opinion held by a lot of other, real, people. The line was a win-win in an entertainment sense.)

The trend line for Bush is clear. Once credibility is lost, it's almost impossible to regain. It requires personal contrition and acceptance of responsibility that I have to say seems to be beyond George W. Bush. He's always been loathe to admit ever having made a mistake; this is the man who responded to a question in the debates about mistakes he's made and what he's learned from them, by tossing off a line saying that the only mistakes he's ever made have been in his choices of people to work for him. Bush lives within a bubble of delusional perfection, surrounded by sycophantic scapegoats to blame for his mistakes. The American people respect a leader who, like Harry Truman, doesn't hesitate to accept his responsibilities. They no longer respect Bush because he's failed that crucial test of character.

So, Robert, do you intend to become one of those bitter RightWingers who, thirty years down the road, still maintains that Bush was framed? Don't you find people who, today, claim that Nixon was framed, to be just a little bit pathetic? It's not too late to come over to the light side--save your soul now, man!