Post-Clarke Polling

The President has had a terrible week, and White House attempts to spin away the Clarke controversy showed more energy than coherence. Yet the scattershot containment tactics seem to have worked. According to an AP poll conducted after Clarke's testimony on Wednesday, "Half those surveyed in the poll after Clarke's testimony Wednesday said they thought he was acting for political and personal reasons, while a quarter said they feel he's acting as a dedicated public servant."

Newsweek has given us the sole post-Clarke poll available at present; it shows Bush two points up, 45%-43%, if Nader stays in. If Nader quits, the results are Bush 47% and Kerry 48%. Which means (if I read these numbers aright) a certain number of people out there want Nader first, with Bush as a second choice.

In the key battleground state of Ohio, the race remains neck-and-neck. Here as elsewhere, Kerry has strong support among voters within the 18-29 age bracket. This much, at least, is excellent news. The younger crowd -- beset by high testosterone levels and short attention spans -- has been leaning Republican in recent times.

Also worth reading is this analysis of Kerry's performance in the "purple" states -- that is to say, the states that went red or blue by a tiny amount in 2000. Ruy Teixeira thinks Kerry is doing well, although I would caution against too much enthusiasm. For example, a recent poll in purple Wisconsin puts Kerry ahead by three points, within the margin of error.

People truly believe that Clarke's sole purpose is to sell books. Of course, the same lazy criticism can be directed toward anyone who writes any book for any reason. If money were the sole motive, Clarke would have penned (or lent his name to) a thuggish conservative screed which Scaife's buying power could have put on the bestseller lists. Does anyone really think that a dim bulb like Tammy Bruce could get into print if she wrote a non-reactionary book?