Bush Surges in Polls, Experts Predict GOP Landslide

Monday, November 6, 2006 (AP)

WASHINGTON--One day before the critical 2006 midterm elections, a CNN-Gallup poll reveals that President Bush is surging in opinion polls, putting the GOP in good position to make significant gains in both the House and Senate, as well as picking up several contested state gubernatorial races.

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, White House Senior Advisor, Karl Rove confidently predicted that after this election the Democratic Party might cease to exist. "The Democrats are completely divided," said Rove. "They can't decide if they want troops to withdraw from Iraq now or a year from now. Tim, you know the President's position has always been clear. We will not cut and run. Not now, not ever. Never. Ever. Never." Rove also referred optimistically to a report by Gen. George Casey suggesting that American troop levels in Iraq could decline drastically, to barely 140,000, by the end of the week.

The Democrats have been widely seen as reeling politically ever since June, when a slim minority in the Senate blocked passage of a constitutional amendment to prohibit burning of the American flag. A senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the AP that the Democrats were also fragmented and despondent over a secret NSA study indicating that their congressional delegation had been covertly wiring large quantities of campaign cash to Osama bin Laden's cave in western Pakistan. The study also indicates that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) spent Democratic Congressional Coordinated Campaign (DCCC) funds calling gay sex hotlines. Although the senior official did not show AP a copy of the report, its existence has been confirmed by other senior White House officials.

The latest CNN-Gallup poll indicates a clear surge of support for the Bush administration and its policies. President Bush's public approval has leaped to 25% of registered voters, its highest level in nearly two months, while his disapproval plunged to 68%. The poll surveyed 978 respondents, with a margin of error of 3%, and was conducted from November 3-5.