Tom Reynolds: Person for Congress

Apparently, in the current political climate, many Republicans are not exactly anxious to announce their political affiliation in their reelection campaign.  This article mentions some of the more prominent Republicans who are running away from their party in their bid to get reelected in a bad political year for Republicans.  Amusingly enough, Tom Reynolds, the focus of the article, is the Republican Congressman who is supposedly in charge of seeing to it that the Republicans maintain their majority in the House.  

Public Opinion on Iraq

Yesterday's New York Times reported on a poll about public attitudes towards Iraq.  What was most interesting was some of the findings they did not report (courtesy of Greg Sargent at American Prospect). 

Do you think the United States should or shouldn't set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq?
Should: 56
Should not: 40

Do you think it is worth the loss of life and other costs for the
United States to remain in Iraq until there's a stable democracy there,
or is it not worth the loss of life and other costs, or are you unsure?
Worth it: 25
Not worth it: 42
Unsure: 32

How do you think the war with Iraq is affecting the United States'
image in the world? Is the war making the U.S. image in the world
better, making it worse, or is the war having no effect on the U.S.
image in the world?
Better: 10
Worse: 72
No effect: 12

Do you think the U.S. presence in Iraq is leading to greater
stability in the Middle East, less stability, or won't it have any
effect on the stability of the Middle East?
Greater: 25
Less: 41
No effect: 25

If the U.S. stays in Iraq for several more years, do you think that
will eventuallly make the United States more safe from terrorism, less
safe, or won't it make any difference?
More safe: 27
Less safe: 21
No effect: 50

Regardless of how you usually vote, do you think the Republican Party
or the Democratic Party is more likely to make the right decisions
about the war in Iraq?

Republican: 36

Democrat: 42

And yet Republicans are still planning to run on this issue in the Fall.  Either this is a huge miscalculation or the Democrats are truly hopeless.  I'm hoping for the former.