toledoblade.com --

BOSTON - The Patriot Act, passed in the aftermath of the 2001 terror attacks, and the prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib in Baghdad have taken a toll on American prestige overseas and could play an important role in deciding who wins the White House in November, experts on civil liberties, politics, and public opinion polling said here yesterday.

Gathered for a seminar sponsored by the Washington-based Arab American Institute, members of the panel agreed that, as a result of the aftermath to the attacks, minorities in America are leaning heavily away from the Bush administration.

Pollster John Zogby said that surveys taken right after the terror attacks showed a majority of Americans favored sometimes severe restrictions on civil liberties, but that sentiment has reverted to normal levels.

Still, he said, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry leads President Bush by a wide margin among those Arab-American poll respondents who said terrorism, national security, and Iraq were "very important'' to them in deciding for whom to vote.

The poll, conducted earlier this month, surveyed 500 respondents in four key battleground states, including Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

Dearborn, Mich., includes the single-largest Arab-American community in the nation, with Toledo also ranking high.

The poll showed President Bush is in trouble with Arab-Americans - even among those Arab-Americans who said they were Republicans.

Among all Arab-American respondents, 69 percent said Mr. Bush does not deserve to be re-elected.

"Civil liberties are a big issue,'' Mr. Zogby said, adding that the topic is poised to replace the question of the propriety of the war in Iraq as an election issue.

Among all voters, state polls conducted by Mr. Zogby and released Monday show Mr. Bush leading by a narrow margin over Mr. Kerry in Ohio, while Mr. Kerry leads by a comfortable margin in Michigan.

Other speakers at the forum also were critical of the administration.

Ambassador Joe Wilson, whose spat with the White House over evidence used to justify the Iraq war has rocketed him to national prominence, said he has been the target of "a smear campaign'' by the Bush administration, which has tried to destroy his career.

He charged that his trouble is meant to be an example of what will happen if Americans publicly contradict the President.

If you oppose the government, he said, you should "be afraid. Be very, very, afraid.''

"America today is more isolated, less admired, and less secure,'' said Bob Borosage, president of the Institute for America's Future.

He was critical of the Bush administration for what he said amounted to lending a deaf ear to concerns from other nations because to do so harms the nation's larger interests, especially in the arenas of international security and trade.

As the world's leading economy, "you have the highest stake in international law because you can't police it alone. This is a big election issue, with a big choice'' between the candidates, he said.

Michigan Congressman John Conyers said Republicans are dominated by an extreme right political wing that, he predicted, would be the party's undoing and would lead to its loss of power in Washington.

"One of the things that saves us is their over-arching desire to reach well beyond what the American people will accept,'' he said.

Contact Fritz Wenzel at:
fritz@theblade.com
or 419-724-6134.

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