More Stonewalling

As I noted in my last post, Bush is only hurting himself and his party by stonewalling the press on his ties with convicted felon, Jack Abramoff. The latest polls show that this is not a mediacentric issue.

A full 76% of the American public believe that Bush should release all information relating to his ties with the former lobbyist. Only 18% believe that he should not. I don't think Bush has come to realize yet that the people do not trust him the same way they used to. Two thirds of those responding yes will probably believe that Bush is guilty of corruption regardless of disclosure. They are not the people Bush has to worry about. Most likely, at least a third of the Americans responding yes to the question about disclosure believe that he is most likely clean. But they are no longer willing to take a "just trust me" as a viable answer. For that segment, he is only cementing the opinion that Bush is not as trustworthy as he claims.

What is also interesting about the polls is that 46%-26%, Americans believe that Democrats are more able to stand up to the lobbyists.

additionally, 43% of the American people feel that ethics have fallen since his inauguration, while only 24% felt that ethics had fallen under Clinton.

While polls of this type are unreliable in predicting who will win the next election, it is certainly going to be giving many GOP congressmen ulcers.

So, I certainly hope that Bush continues to withhold the information.

Majority Believe White House Should Release Abramoff Records

Washington Post-ABC News Poll