President Bush: A New Low

  • Share
  • Read Later

Between the battle over Iraq policy that is beginning on the Senate floor and the confrontation over executive privilege that appears headed toward the courts, there has never been a moment in his presidency when George Bush so badly needed public confidence and goodwill. Instead, along comes the new USA Today/Gallup poll, showing his approval rating at a record low 29%, down four percentage points from just a month ago. (Fuller results here.)

Slippage is particularly pronounced among Republicans.

Susan Page notes:

Bush now has had both the highest approval rating in Gallup’s history — 90% in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks — and one of the lowest. Among modern presidents, only Richard Nixon, Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter ever had a lower rating.

Gallup offers historical perspective in this analysis.