Yesterday I had an interesting two-hour conversation with a middle-aged, self-proclaimed conservative couple from Colorado. The name 'Bush' was never mentioned but it was implied in every facet of the conversation.

Their take on it:

The war should perhaps not have been begun "We'll never know", but now that we're there we must complete the process. We should "send the Iraqis back to the camel age". We should ("politically incorrect as it seems") obliterate North Korea NOW, so as to avoid inevitable war later. "China and South Korea are being blackmailed into sending millions of dollars in aid to North Korea." (Neither of them had a good answer as to why China would not instead send a vast army into North Korea NOW before North Korea has a working nuclear capability, rather than allowing itself to be extorted for years.)

"Why should we support those who don't work?" (Because, I quoted: A nation is judged by its treatment of the least among them.)

Lots more. They are a couple with a small business, and they seemed well informed on a great many issues. The conversation remained cordial throughout, but I'm beginning to understand why Bush's approval rating remains high, or at least where it's coming from.

I despair.