On things that fall

Okay, so before you read this, go into the nearest bathroom, stare yourself down in the mirror, and do a good minute or so of facial stretches and exercises. Big face, little face. Big face, little face. Half a dozen times. I'll wait.

Done? Great. It's very important that you stretch appropriately before attempting the kind of shocked expression necessary to respond to the following news: George Bush's approval rating has dropped below freezing.

Yeah, I know. Take a minute to compose yourself. Then, behold the trends, if you're a trend person (and who isn't, these days?). Or, alternately, if you're a visual person, take a gander at this'n:



Yeeeah. When I say "Ouch," I mean it in just a little bit of a schadenfreude-y way. And it's schadenfreude not because I have such severe dislike of Bush, because I actually don't (ask my about my lack of abject hatred for our commander in chief), but because I told you so. I did. I told you and I told you and I told you and I told you, and you were all, like, "Well, John Kerry looks like a horse, so meh," and now look what you've done.

Whew. Ahem.

Anyway, that's water under the bridge. What's important now is that y'all have learned your lesson (about six years too late, but whatever), and it's showing in the polls (not that they really mean anything at this point, but whatever again). Per CBS and the New York Times, as linked above, Bush's approval rating has gone from 42 percent at the end of January to 34 percent at the end of February to 33 percent at the end of April, and, well, here we are.

Unfortunately, traditional betting pools don't work too well over the Internet, if only because collecting a dollar per square from a guy in Kuala Lumpur is an absolute bitch. So we're going to make it a little more simple: Pick the day when you think that President Bush's approval rating will first duck below 30 percent, and leave it in comments. Whoever gets within two days on either side of the actual event wins his or her choice of Flying Spaghetti Monster apparel from CafePress, courtesy of your friendly neighborhood blogger.

See below for official rules. No purchase necessary. Many will enter, few will win.

Selection of dates is first-come, first-served. Dates available will fall in the two-month period between today (May 10, 2006) and July 10, 2006. In the event of a tie, the contestant who picks the closest day before the event in question will be declared the winner. Declaration of winners and distribution of prizes is entirely at the discretion of management. Not applicable in conjunction with any other offer. If a rash appears, immediately discontinue use and contact your physician. Do not use while driving or operating heavy machinery. Swim at your own risk.