The Political Battle Bush is Winning.

The San Diego Union-Tribune has this: (emphasis mine)

"So, what's the political score to date in what might be called the Bush vs. New York Times aftermath?

So far, Bush is winning, handily.

An Opinion Dynamics Corp. poll conducted for FOX News after the Times revealed the administration's secret tracking of terrorist financing resoundingly affirmed the Bush position.
First, 70 percent of those polled in this nationwide survey conducted over two days at the end of June supported tracking terrorist financing. That 70 percent included 83 percent of Republicans, 67 percent of independents and 58 percent of Democrats.

Not much room there for doubting that the public endorses Bush's follow-the-money strategy. The until-now secret operation that tracks terrorist financing is a joint operation by the Treasury Department and the Central Intelligence Agency that began soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

The same polling found that 60 percent of Americans believe that the Times' decision to reveal this secret intelligence program “did more to help terrorist groups like al-Qaeda” than to “help the American public.” This damning, for The New York Times, conclusion was held by 84 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of independents and 42 percent of Democrats.

For the Times and its editors, the most stinging poll result of all was what respondents thought should be done about media organizations that “report and publish information about national security secrets that may make it easier for terrorists to operate.” Two of every three respondents – 84 percent of Republicans, 58 percent of independents and 55 percent of Democrats – believe that those news organizations should “face criminal charges.”

From the resolution condemning disclosure of the terrorist financing surveillance to Gen. Michael Hayden, the former NSA director who conducted the program and later became a principal intelligence adviser to Bush and then director of the CIA, Bush has won on this issue time and time again. As the Tribuen points out:

"When Bush subsequently nominated Hayden to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Times, citing Hayden's role in the NSA surveillance, vigorously opposed his nomination on its editorial page. Thus, the Senate's confirmation vote on Hayden's nomination became yet another political test of strength between Bush and his media critics.
Bush won, easily. The Senate voted 78-15 to confirm Hayden as CIA director."

One thing that comforts us on the right is that although the left may not get fighting the war on terror, the general American public does. The left may have been able to confuse and mislead about the war in Iraq to many, with the help of the msm, by constantly repeating mistruths, propaganda, and negativity, they have not been able to do so in our national security capacity.

Thank God for that.

via RCP