"Dedicated to exposing the lies and impeachable offenses of George W. Bush"


Approval for Cheney Stands at 29% in U.S.
Angus Reid Global
February 21, 2006

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Few adults in the United States are satisfied with the performance of their vice-president, according to a poll by SRBI Public Affairs published in Time. 29 per cent of respondents approve of the job Dick Cheney has done in the Bush administration, down three points since January.

Cheney served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1978 to 1989, and as defence secretary from 1989 to 1993 under George H. Bush, directing "Operation Just Cause" in Panama an "Operation Desert Storm" in Iraq. From 1993 to 2000, Cheney headed the Halliburton company.

On Feb. 11, Cheney accidentally shot and injured lawyer Harry Whittington—an acquaintance and campaign contributor—during a quail hunt at a South Texas ranch. Whittington sustained injuries to his face, chest and neck, and spent six days in a hospital. According to ranch owner Katharine Armstrong, Cheney turned around to shoot at a bird, but did not know that Whittington "was in the line of fire."

On Feb. 15, Cheney discussed the incident during an interview with Fox News, saying, "The image of him falling is something I'll never be able to get out of my mind. I fired, and there's Harry falling. And it was, I'd have to say, one of the worst days of my life, at that moment." 52 per cent of respondents approve of the way Cheney handled the shooting incident, while 42 per cent disapprove.

On Feb. 18, U.S. president George W. Bush said he was satisfied with the way Cheney dealt with the situation, saying, "I thought the vice president handled the issue just fine."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of the job vice-president Dick Cheney has done in the Bush administration?

Feb. 2006

Jan. 2005

Jul. 2004

Approve

29%

32%

51%

Disapprove

41%

45%

38%

Don't know

29%

23%

11%

Do you approve or disapprove of the way vice-president Dick Cheney handled the shooting incident?

Approve

52%

Disapprove

42%

Don't know

6%

Source: Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs / Time
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,001 American adults, conducted on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Original Text

Commentary: