Neuharth

Not enough attention is paid to what's in the pages of USA Today.

Three years ago on May Day, President Bush put on his now-infamous "Mission Accomplished" show about Iraq. This week on May 1, he confidently declared another turning point on our way to victory in Iraq. Facts:

Then, 139 U.S. troops had died in the "pre-emptive" Iraq war. Now, the number is 2,411.

Then, Bush got $79 billion from Congress for the war. Now, the total cost approved by Congress is more than $250 billion.

Then, the president's overall approval rating was 71%. Now, in the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll it is 34%.

How low can Bush's approval rating go? My hunch is it's at or near the bottom. That 34% represents mostly unshakeable far-right wingers. Like Bush, Vice President Cheney and company, they are in denial. As were the 24% in the polls who still approved of President Richard Nixon before he resigned in disgrace.

What happened to the 37% who have switched from pro-Bush to anti-Bush? They finally realized they were suckered by Bush and his buddies back then about Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction, his tie to terrorists and his threat to the USA.