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Alabama Scene
While some of you may not put much stock in political polls, I do, and I might add that Dr. Johnson's batting average in past surveys has been excellent. One of his polls was to get a reading on President George Bush and his handling of the war in Iraq; the second was to get a very early pulse on how Alabamians may be leaning in the 2008 presidential election. And as I said above, neither poll gives Republicans any reason to be encouraged. The days of the past when President Bush could do no wrong in the eyes of most Alabamians appear to be gone. In fact, the view of Alabamians on the war in Iraq and on Bush's handling of that war almost mirror the numbers nationwide. A total of 621 registered voters in Alabama were contacted in the survey which was conducted during the first 10 days of January. When asked if they approved the way Bush was handling the war 43.3 percent said yes, 54.8 percent said no. Is the war worth what it is costing in lives and money? Only 39.3 percent said yes, 53.1 percent said no. Even more overwhelming were the numbers when those polled were asked if they felt the U. S. was winning the war. Only 25.9 percent said yes, a whopping 60.4 percent said no. Quite simply, this poll clearly shows President Bush has lost much of his support in Alabama, at least as it relates to the war. I don't think it is a coincidence that the poll on the 2008 presidential election also showed a considerable drop in the strength of the Republican Party in Alabama. In 2000 and 2004 Bush carried the state by near-landslide proportions in his presidential elections against Al Gore and John Kerry. But in this latest poll when asked in which party primary would they vote in 2008 the Republican Party had only a two percentage point lead over the Democrats- -46.2 percent to 44 percent. That hardly suggests a landslide in the General Election. There were no surprises as to the favorite candidates of the two parties. Sen. John McCain was at the top among Republican candidates with 24 percent, followed in order by Rudolph Giuliani, Newt Gingrich and Bob Riley…(yes, the Alabama governor.) Sen. Hillary Clinton was the No. 1 choice of Alabama Democrats in the poll with 27.4 percent, followed by Sen. Barack Obama (18.8 percent). John Edwards and former Vice President Al Gore were next in line. Interestingly, Sen. Clinton ran better among Alabama blacks than did Sen. Obama. **** If you love a parade…as I do…they had a good one at Gov. Riley's inauguration. Marching up Dexter Avenue were some of the finest high school and college bands in the state…pretty girls on floats…and happily, only a few horses. Having marched in a parade or two as a youngster I subscribe to that old truth: Parades should have bands or horses, but not both. Almost stealing the show at the inauguration was U. S. John McCain, frequently mentioned as a presidential candidate in 2008. He certainly acted like a candidate…shaking hands, hugging babies, posing for pictures. Be sure his attendance gave more impetus…not that any is needed…to the talk that Gov. Riley might be his vice presidential running mate in 2008. To this observer, all that talk makes absolutely no political sense. The GOP nominee in 2008 will be the favorite to carry Alabama and the Deep South without needing a Southerner on the ticket. Simply put, Riley would add nothing to the McCain ticket.
Bob Ingram has been covering Alabama politics for over 50 years.
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