Putting Bush and Cheney’s approval numbers in context, via this roundup of odd public opinions I posted here on TMW a couple of years ago:

• Bush’s approval number is now level with people who think rock and roll has been bad for America.

• Cheney is now only eight points ahead of the willingness to eat a rat on a reality TV show.

PS — while we’re on the subject of polls, many folks have commented on this poll of U.S. troops which shows they want out en masse, but I’ve seen little comment about another tidbit, which (as I elaborated a bit more here) you have to read more closely to find — a large majority of the troops still cite the pre-war lies about Saddam’s links to Al-Qaeda and/or 9-11 as the justifications for the daily risk of their lives, claims that were widely discredited before the war even started:

Remarkably, the two justifications most frequently mentioned by the troops were those that were discredited after [sic] the invasion. Forty-one percent said stopping “Saddam from protecting al Qaeda in Iraq” was the “main reason” while another 36 percent said it was a ‘’major reason.'’ At the same time, 35 percent said “retaliat(ing) for Saddam’s role in the 9/11 attacks'’ was the “main reason'’, and 50 percent called it a ‘’major reason.'’

Almost three years into the game, this is nothing short of bizarre, not terribly more accurate than blaming Iran for the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine.

Man, are these people gonna be ticked off when they get home and catch up to, say, the government’s own 9-11 report or Bush’s own admission three years ago, three months before the war.