Posted on 02/27/2006 5:06:03 PM PST by HitmanLV
(CBS) The latest CBS News poll finds President Bush's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 34 percent, while pessimism about the Iraq war has risen to a new high.
Americans are also overwhelmingly opposed to the Bush-backed deal giving a Dubai-owned company operational control over six major U.S. ports. Seven in 10 Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, say they're opposed to the agreement.
CBS News senior White House correspondent Jim Axelrod reports that now it turns out the Coast Guard had concerns about the ports deal, a disclosure that is no doubt troubling to a president who assured Americans there was no security risk from the deal.
The troubling results for the Bush administration come amid reminders about the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina and negative assessments of how the government and the president have handled it for six months.
In a separate poll, two out of three Americans said they do not think President Bush has responded adequately to the needs of Katrina victims. Only 32 percent approve of the way President Bush is responding to those needs, a drop of 12 points from last September’s poll, taken just two weeks after the storm made landfall.
Mr. Bush's overall job rating has fallen to 34 percent, down from 42 percent last month. Fifty-nine percent disapprove of the job the president is doing.
For the first time in this poll, most Americans say the president does not care much about people like themselves. Fifty-one percent now think he doesn't care, compared to 47 percent last fall.
Just 30 percent approve of how Mr. Bush is handling the Iraq war, another all-time low.
By two to one, the poll finds Americans think U.S. efforts to bring stability to Iraq are going badly – the worst assessment yet of progress in Iraq.
Even on fighting terrorism, which has long been a strong suit for Mr. Bush, his ratings dropped lower than ever. Half of Americans say they disapprove of how he's handling the war on terror, while 43 percent approve.
In a bright spot for the administration, most Americans appeared to have heard enough about Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident.
More then three in four said it was understandable that the accident had occurred and two-thirds said the media had spent too much time covering the story.
Still, the incident appears to have made the public's already negative view of Cheney a more so. Just 18 percent said they had a favorable view of the vice president, down from 23 percent in January.
Americans were evenly split on whether or not Cheney's explanation of why there was a delay in reporting the accident was satisfactory.
OTOH. Dan Rather is a lost soul. LOL
Someone gets it. Bad Bush poll numbers are not good for either party and the country in general. No good can come from any of this if Bush's numbers don't get better and stay better and soon.
He is a leader, but not our ruler.
I voted for the President twice and am a supporter.
However, he is making it difficult to support him. His admin totally and utterly dropped the ball on communicating this ports deal to the people. When pressed on it, he announces he will veto any attempt to thwart his admin's position. Later on, the word is he really wasn't all that well informed on the situation. Yet, his veto threat stands - it comes across as defensive and arrogant.
That's a ruler, not a leader.
Let him lead, and I like him more. The dems depict Dubya as arrogant and out-of-touch, as well as slow witted. Increasingly, he makes that depiction more credible.
Record low casualties? I count at least 14 months with lower casualties. http://icasualties.org/oif/ And if you believe Iraq is going well, I'd like to sell you some magents that improve your arthritis.
Why Dane, our resident coyote !
Bush has alienated his base with his guest worker obsession and lost independents with this port deal. Two policies you support and which, unless Bush abandons them immediately, will doom him and the GOP.
Adorno, an unpopular president means a leaderless party during the nomination process. Cheney is too old so it will be McCain vs cultural conservatives who do not as yet have a favorite candidate.
Yes, the Coast Guard knows... and evidently objected, according to today's news.
That's entirely fair, but its Bush and the admin's job to make their case persuasively and cogently.
They clearly failed.
Where does the site get the info from??? If things are going bad in Iraq it would be on the news right now....
Mine! Mine! Mine! Bush Mine!
In "entertainment" and that share is down from years ago.
Their news division is in the tank, but I find it funny you are defending the network of dan rather. I'm not surprised, you two have something in common, you both hate the President.
- The economy is running along smooth and predictions are looking good.
- Employment figures are fine.
- We've just hit month four of record low casualties in Iraq.
- Iraq just held off an attempt to plunge it into civil war.
Any other President would have great poll numbers on this but what are American's hearing? Domestic spying, gun totting VP, selling ports to foreigners.
The Middle East is not a "mess." It is transitioning to a representative form of government in Iraq.
But, I expect more of this negativity and trashing from you.
I agree 100%.
And CBS is just SO excited about all this!
Well they just made the announcement today...buried somewhere in all the fabricated port hysteria. If you were interested you could have read all the good news out of Iraq today...very promising.
Yep.
And the news media would never misreport the news, would they.
Psst, they did, the Coast Guard objections were rectified.
Mr. I think you are a first class 'hole, but I have to admit your tagline is funny, and I like Pat.
I do think the administration's lack of enforcement of border security and handling of this port situation undercut their credibility so far as national security is concerned. If we're at risk, the borders (including our ports) need to be more secure.
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