Most surprising is that 60 percent say Bush is primarily responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan. Just 10 percent point to Obama, who has ordered 51,000 additional troops to that country since taking office, doubling the number deployed by Bush.
“The public remembers the Bush years as a tumultuous time of costly wars, and the years when a budget surplus became a deficit,” said J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., a Des Moines, Iowa-based firm that conducted the survey.
When Obama entered office in January 2009, there had been 568 U.S. casualties associated with the Afghanistan conflict, a number that has grown to 1,086, as of yesterday, according to the Defense Department. The president has vowed to start withdrawing forces in July 2011, with the pacing determined by conditions on the ground.
Katrina, Gulf Spill
Asked to compare Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina with Obama’s handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, 51 percent say Bush’s performance was worse, while 35 percent name Obama. Republicans are more likely to pan Obama’s performance on the oil spill, with 69 percent saying he did worse than Bush.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers share some of the blame for the country’s problems, including the increasing cost of Medicare and Social Security, as well the failure to fix the nation’s immigration system, according to the poll.
Bush’s Deficit
More blame Bush than Obama for the federal deficit, 32 percent to 24 percent. Among Republicans, 39 percent say Obama is to blame, while about a quarter of independents hold that view.
Obama gets more credit for increases in the stock market over the past year, with 28 percent of Americans giving him recognition, compared with 13 percent for Bush. Even among Republicans, a quarter give Obama credit for the increases.
On unemployment, Bush is listed as most responsible by 32 percent, compared with 22 percent for Obama. Those with incomes below $25,000 are more likely to blame Bush for the unemployment rate, which was 9.5 percent in June.
The poll’s findings on Afghanistan contrast with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s comments July 1 that the war is “not something that the United States has actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in.” Steele later amended his remarks after he was criticized by both parties and some Republican leaders called for his resignation.
The poll also finds that almost 6 in 10 respondents (58%) say the war in Afghanistan is a lost cause.
There isn’t a lot of buyer’s remorse when it comes to the 2008 presidential election, the poll shows. Asked if things would be better or worse if the Republican candidate, Senator John McCain of Arizona, had been elected, 37 percent say worse, 27 percent say better and 32 percent say things would be the same.
