The New York Times reports that the Afghanistan surge has scant support in the US. Its poll shows support for Obama, in general, is diminishing.
The poll showed a steady slide in support for Mr. Obama as he approaches the end of his first year in office. His job approval rating has now hit 50 percent, the lowest yet in this poll; it was 68 percent at its peak in April. The percentage of Americans who approve of his handling of the economy has dropped to 47 percent from 54 percent in October. And 42 percent approve of the way he is handling health care, down five percentage points in the last few months. ...NYT
The reason for continuing in Afghanistan has not been sufficiently explained -- much less justified. He's losing support from his own party.
The poll also found that despite Mr. Obama’s address to the nation last week, in which he sought to lay out a justification for the mission, nearly half of the respondents said that he had not clearly explained his plan.The poll underscores the extent to which Mr. Obama has defied Democrats on the war. About two-thirds of Republicans support the troop escalation, while 53 percent of Democrats oppose it. ...NYT
Not everyone was available to respond to the poll. During a blizzard yesterday in Wisconsin, university students spent the day in more uplifting activities. Thousands of UW students met on Bascom Hill in Madison for a massive snowball fight.
"It's like a mixture of football, boxing and dodgeball," said Elliot Lynde, 22, a senior from Verona, Wis., shortly after mounting an offensive into the opposition's line of attack.
The idea was hatched by three freshmen in advance of the storm that rolled into Madison and much of Wisconsin on Tuesday night. Word spread over Facebook and just before the fight began more than 5,200 guests had signed on to take part. ...Chicago Trib
