OBAMA GETS LUKEWARM PUBLIC SUPPORT ON McCHRYSTAL FIRING – AT 10:51 A.M. ET:  Scott Rasmussen reports that the public supports President Obama's decision to send Gen. McChrystal to the showers, but that the level of support is hardly overwhelming:

Forty-seven percent (47%) of U.S. voters agree that it was appropriate for President Obama to fire America’s top commander in Afghanistan this week, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Thirty-six percent (36%) disagree and say the president should not have removed General Stanley McChrystal from his command. Another 17% are not sure.

Just 32%, however, believe it was appropriate for McChrystal to criticize the president and other top U.S. officials in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Fifty percent (50%) feel the general’s public comments were not appropriate. Nearly one-out-of-five voters (18%) are undecided.

Obama's action has not resulted in any bump in the polls.  From this morning's Rasmussen report:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 25% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty percent (40%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -15 (see trends).

And...

Overall, 45% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Fifty-four percent (54%) disapprove.

While those numbers are a bit of an improvement over Obama's recent lows, they hardly suggest a "let's rally behind the commander-in-chief mood."  More of a "we've been burned before, so let's wait and see."  I'd vote for the second one.

June 27, 2010