How about a brain?

Over at the Huff Puff, John Zogby has a post entitled, "Bush Still Beat Kerry: What Am I Missing Here?." That's right. It says "Bush Still Beat Kerry." Mr. Zogby, you are missing an "s."

But that's not the important part. In the post, Zogby asks:

In our new poll, every president since Carter defeats Bush. But Kerry still loses to Bush by one point. What am I missing here?

When one visits the Zogby site through the link, and scrolls down, one finds the little diagram showing Mr. Zogby's assertions.

Here is the chart:

Would Lose to Every President Since Carter

Bush *Clinton
44 * 46

Bush * Bush (41)

34 * 41

Bush * Reagan
20 * 59

Bush * Carter
42 * 50

Bush * Kerry
48 * 471

“Winner” identified in bold

Zogby then goes on to say:

In a sign of just how severe the damage to the President’s standing caused by Katrina is, the Zogby America survey finds that, despite his re-election last fall, President Bush would lose to every modern president since Jimmy Carter, the one-term Democrat who left office amid record unpopularity and a presidency rated, at the time, dismally. He would also lose to his own father, who left office amid an economic recession triggered, in part, by a devastating hurricane.

However, in one of the few bright spots for the President, he would still beat Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry, by a narrow, one-point margin.

I as unable to discover where the numbers for the former Presidents came from. From this time in their own presidencies? From the current poll, asking which president the respondent has a more favorable impression of? Perhaps Zogby explained it somewhere on the page, but I believe those numbers are approval numbers, not percentages of votes.

Presidents' approval numbers wax and wan throughout the entirety of their presidencies.

If Zogby wanted to compare who would win elections, then perhaps he should compare percentages of actual election numbers, not just approval ratings partway through a term.

And, unless I am mistaken, one must also remember that none of these presidents have had to face such huge and horrifying events as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina during their presidencies. Sure, Reagan had the Cold War, but it wasn't so messy and devastating as what Bush has faced.

And, Mr. Zogby, don't forget that John Kerry has never been (nor will ever be, Please God), President of the United States of America. Should you really include him in the question? What about Al Gore?