Opinion: Americans so happy over killing Osama Bin Laden they’re even giving Congress credit
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Finally, a new Gallup Poll reveals this morning, the American public has settled on who should get a chunk of the credit for that daring, deadly raid on Osama bin Laden’s housing compound over there in Pakistan:
Members of Congress.
No, really. Those brave folks who make only $174,000 a year and take vacations back home for every conceivable holiday, are basking in a newfound approval among Americans.
Gallup reports today that following the assassination of Bin Laden, the approval of that congressional crowd jumped by almost half from 17% to 24%. Amazing the effect a little righteous killing can have on the American mind.
Yes, yes, that’s still only one-in-four approval.
But it’s way better than they’d been viewed for a long time. In fact, 24% is one point higher than Congress’ approval rating has been since the beginning of 2010.
Gallup calls this congressional approval bump the halo effect, as Americans feel generally better about many things and people, having been told they brought the Al Qaeda founder to final justice for what he orchestrated on 9/11 and in other deadly attacks around the world. And even without a bloody death photo to cherish.
No one ever said these bumps have to make sense. President Roosevelt got an approval bump after the Pearl Harbor disaster and Congress got a 42-point bump just for being around on 9/11 and singing on the Capitol steps.
Americans have been in such a good mood this month they even gave a nine-point bounce to Obama, who watched the raid on TV in the White House basement.
Obama aides dismissed considerable confusion over varying raid details and accounts and said their boss showed amazing ‘gutsiness’ before and during the operation, as we detailed here the next day. Obama has put the terrorist’s slaying to good use in a pair of political fundraising speeches that raised $2 million in Texas on Tuesday night.
The SEALs also had a hand in the victorious raid, of course, having been involved in the rappelling, the firefighting, the capturing, the intel-gathering and the tricky extrication. But polling on their unanimous approval is deemed unnecessary.
Related:
Osama bin Laden’s son says U.S. broke international law ‘if’ his father is dead
-- Andrew Malcolm
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