Return to Credibility Gap: One thing the political class learned during the Vietnam era is that the U.S. president cannot lead if he has no credbility with the public:

A majority of U.S. adults believe the Bush administration generally misleads the public on current issues, while fewer than a third of Americans believe the information provided by the administration is generally accurate, the latest Harris Interactive poll finds.

While the telephone survey of 1,011 U.S. adults indicates about 64 percent of Americans believe the Bush administration “generally misleads the American public on current issues to achieve its own ends,” opinion on the topic is clearly divided along party lines. A large majority (68 percent to 28 percent) of Republicans say the Bush administration generally provides accurate information. However, even larger majorities of Democrats (91 percent to 7 percent) and Independents (73 percent to 25 percent) think the information is generally misleading.

When asked about former Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who has been indicted on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements, more than half of U.S. adults say the situation indicates “a larger problem in the Bush administration,” while 35 percent say it was an “isolated incident.” About 82 percent of Democrats say it indicates a larger problem, while 70 percent of Republicans feel the Libby case is an isolated incident.