Associated Press reporters Seth Borenstein and Alan Fram reported that despite Rush Limbaugh's claims, Barack Obama is not "stained" by the massive oil spill -- but never mentioned that one reason is the "objective" media hasn't pushed that line like it would have in the Bush years:
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill hasn't stained President Barack Obama nor dimmed the public's desire for offshore energy drilling, according to a new Associated Press-GfK Poll.
While some conservative pundits, such as Rush Limbaugh, have called this "Obama's Katrina," that's not how the public feels, the poll found. BP PLC, which owned the well that has gushed more than 4 million gallons since an Apr. 20 oil rig explosion, is getting more of the public's ire.
More people surveyed said they approved of Obama's handling of the ongoing oil spill than disapproved, but not by large margins or with unusually strong feelings. It contrasts with the public's reaction to President George W. Bush's response to another Gulf disaster, 2005's Hurricane Katrina.
The poll found that 42 percent approve of Obama's actions, 33 percent disapprove and 21 percent say they have neutral feelings about his response.
Borenstein and Fram said Bush wasn't so blessed by public opinion (and once again, no reference to the media's slant at the time):
For Bush after Katrina, the public was harsher in its assessment. An AP-Ipsos poll in mid-September 2005 showed Bush's approval rating somewhat lower in the weeks following the Katrina disaster than Obama's rating for handling the current crisis. Back then, 35 percent approved of Bush's handling of the disaster and 42 percent disapproved, with 25 percent expressing neither approval nor disapproval.
