This pretty much tells the ugly tale. From 61% approval in December to 67% disapproval today. You guys attacking Sheehan, listen up. You have about 200 million more Americans to go after you get through with her.

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Sept. 16-18, 2005. N=818 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq?"

Approve Disapprove Unsure

9/16-18/05 32 67 1
9/8-11/05 40 58 2
8/28-30/05 40 59 1
6/24-26/05 40 58 2
5/20-22/05 40 56 4
4/29 - 5/1/05 42 55 3
4/1-2/05 43 54 3
2/25-27/05 45 53 2
2/4-6/05 50 48 2
1/7-9/05 42 56 2
11/7-10/04 47 51 2
10/14-16/04 46 52 2
9/24-26/04 48 49 3
8/9-11/04 45 52 3
6/21-23/04 42 56 2
6/3-6/04 41 57 2
5/7-9/04 41 58 1
5/2-4/04 42 55 3
4/16-18/04 48 49 3
3/26-28/04 51 47 2
1/29 - 2/1/04 46 53 1
1/2-5/04 61 36 3

Nice comeback :rolleyes: (and you ignored your Dan Rather moment, I note).

The problem is that you have once again taken a quote out of context... which has ramifications.

The internet tells me that quote was from a speech disputing a bill to provide $15,000 for the relief of French refugees.

Now, ask yourself, did Madison wish to restrict all similar such aid as "objects of benevolence"? Does this include humanitarian aid? Military aid? Wars for humanitarian purposes? Rebuilding New Orleans? Funding the arts?

Or is it only applying to the things you don't like - like welfare, and public funded schooling, the benefits of which actually accrue to "constituents".

Let's see you twist your way out of this one.

Back to the original question "what protest is OK?
This administration has not explained what our goals are in Iraq, other than we will stay until a free, democratic Iraq can stand on it's own feet.
That's a nice statement, but we need more.
If, for instance, we need to stay for the next ten years or more with the same number of troops tell us and lets talk about it.
We will suport a realistic plan with goals spelled out along with some idea of the time frame, costs, expected losses, etc.
How can we be expected to blindly support this current program if we can't measure it against a defined goal?
If we are in a prolonged fight with these "insurgents" that could go on for years, as it now looks, lets discuss the plan and get behind it.
We are currently seeing significantly more violence and cost than the administration prepared us for.
We are seeing costs with no end in sight.
We are seeing violence in the streets with very limited response from the 150,000 troops stationed there.
Why did it take us from April to October to attack Fallujah?
It looks to me like we are hiding out at our bases to keep the casualty count down.
When we do react and run an operation, it is done with a minimum number of troops, which then return to a base once the operation is over.
We don't seem to have the support of the population. When was the last time the Iraqi's led us to a pile of bombs, guns or bad guys.
It's like they are going about their business while we do the search and destroy.
There is a real reluctance on the part of the Iraqi's to help themselves.
Based upon all of the above, why are we spending our money and lives?
Please provide us with some leadership, if it makes sense we will support it.
Currently, we are in the dark and no one is talking.