It is unfortunate that it takes a tragedy like that for people to see the system working at its best. When the stakes are high, the press does a good job and the public responds....

The striking thing on the Republican side is Rice’s continued popularity. We found that she had significant crossover appeal to independents and even to some Democrats.

I think the surprise here is that so many people see her as a strong leader. What’s interesting about those numbers is that leadership was probably an area that proved to be John Kerry’s downfall...

People are looking for improvements there, and that’s not something he has great control over, the day-to-day situation in terms of car bombs and sectarian violence.

For what it’s worth historically, 9/11 was the news media’s last great moment in terms of the public view. I’d be hesitant to say much more than that because we don’t know how the public...

They’re not following the ins and outs terribly closely, but they get a general impression that something need to be fixed.

Bush stands at a precipice. He’s lost ground among independents. He seems to be starting to lose ground among his own party. And he lost the Democrats a long time ago.

The sense you get in this poll is that people don’t see a lot of good options or a lot of good strategies.

It’s a complicated issue, and the public’s views aren’t consistent.

Where Bush is beating Kerry among men and women alike is on leadership.

More independents, in particular, say partisan control will be a factor.

There is a real sense of cynicism about the level of corruption in Washington. The feeling among public is it is endemic.

The country has changed a lot. The biggest factor is 9/11. I think there is a great deal more patriotism now than there was then. Even in this divided country, there is more of a...

It was among the issues that showed the biggest percent saying it should be a higher priority.

It hasn’t broken through with the public in a big way.

There’s no consensus. There are so many strains and cross-currents.