A recent poll released by WorldPublicOpinion.org reveals that Iranians are both “very concerned about the danger of terrorism, reject attacks against civilians overwhelmingly, and share strongly negative views of Osama bin Laden.” The findings suggest a basis for diplomacy with Iran.

But the results do sound one important note of caution for the Bush administration. If it pursues permanent bases in Iraq, Iranians understand that it will have a negative affect on stability in the region. The American public, on the other hand, appears to be willing to accept permanent bases:

Recommendation 22 of the Iraq Study Group said: “The President should state that the United States does not seek permanent military bases in Iraq.” So far, Bush has refused to do so.

Last year, congressional conservatives quietly stripped a provision from a funding bill that would have prohibited permanent bases in Iraq. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) pushed a provision through the House — which was accepted unanimously — that put Congress on record as saying the U.S. would not be in Iraq forever. Lee recently pledged to continue pushing for the resolution until it is passed by Congress.

“Ladies and gentlemen: The state of our economy is strong,” President Bush told a Wall Street audience today in his second speech this week devoted to shoring up Americans’ disapproval with the economy.

In an interview last night, Bush was asked why only 41 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the economy. ABC News’ Betsy Stark said, “Can that be summed up in one word? Can that be summed up as Iraq?” Bush responded, “I think so, yeah,” adding, “We’re in a time of war, and war’s unsettling. War’s negative.”

Stark asked Bush why 67 percent of Americans believe he doesn’t understand the problems of average people. Bush said, “I think it’s ’cause of the war again, and I think people are feeling pretty down about, kind of, things ’cause of the war.”

Watch it:

Americans have plenty of reasons beyond Iraq to be frustrated with the economy and worried about their quality of life. From American Progress’ new State of the Economy report.

– Job growth is the weakest on record. Job growth during the current business cycle, beginning in March 2001, has averaged an annualized 0.5 percent per month, the lowest of any business cycle since the Great Depression. In fact, this is less than a quarter of the average of all prior business cycles since World War II.

– Sharp spike in costs for necessities. From March 2001 through June 2006, prices for the five largest consumption items–medical care, housing, food, household operation, and cars–grew more than twice as fast as they did for the smallest five consumption items. At the same time, college costs continue to soar.

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“Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Wednesday he will turn over secret documents detailing the government’s domestic spying program, ending a two-week standoff with the Senate Judiciary Committee over surveillance targeting terror suspects,” the AP reports. “The records will be given to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and the panel’s top Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who two weeks ago lambasted Gonzales for refusing to turn over documents that even the FISA Court’s presiding judge had no objection to releasing.”

The conservative newspaper notes that the smears against Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) background are “a sign of the growing indifference Internet ‘journalism’ presents on the question of truth. Rumor is good enough. Bibles of blogging are created based on nothing more than rumor.” In reality, Insight Magazine — run by the Washington Times — started the rumors. Bloggers helped dispel them.

I’ll go Tom Schaller one better — not only do I think it makes sense for candidates for the nomination to pre-announce their VP choices and contest the primaries as a ticket, it seems to me that once a candidate has the nomination locked up he really ought to start announcing a “shadow cabinet” during the campaign season. It’s very odd that the voters are essentially asked to choose blindly between two competing possible chief executives without being told anything about the management teams they’re planning to bring on board.

On Monday, NPR senior correspondent Juan Williams interviewed President Bush and asked him a question from Spec. Ryan Schmidt of Forest Lake, MN, who is serving in Iraq: “What if your plan for a troop surge to Baghdad does not work?” Bush avoided answering the question, stating:

Well, I would say to Ryan, I put it in place on the advice of a lot of smart people, particularly the military people who think it will work, and let us go into this aspect of the Iraqi strategy feeling it will work. But I will also assure Ryan that we’re constantly adjusting to conditions on the ground.

Williams didn’t press Bush further, instead switching the topic to Iran. But last night on NPR, reporter John McChesney followed up with Schmidt and asked him whether he believed the President adequately answered his question. Schmidt’s response was a resounding “no.” Listen here:

Schmidt added, “For some of us that are over here, particularly me, my unit, we all feel, what’s the point of us being extended if your initial plan to send more troops over here does not work? What are you going to do, Mr. President?”

(HT: NPR Check)

Transcript: Read more

Leave it to Joe Biden to actually kick his campaign off with a gaffe:

Mr. Biden is equally skeptical—albeit in a slightly more backhanded way—about Mr. Obama. “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

Clean?