On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 22:23:26 -0400, Harry Hope <rivrvu@ix.netcom.com>
wrote:
Bush's own ratings have suffered in tandem with these concerns.
His approval rating for handling the situation in Iraq has fallen by
17 points since the end of April, from 75 percent then to 58 percent
now.
His overall job approval rating is down to 59 percent, matching its
lowest since Sept. 11, 2001, in ABCNEWS/Washington Post polls.
The number who "strongly" approve of his performance, 35 percent, is
down 15 points since late April to a post-9/11 low.
From ABC News, 7/11/03:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/US/poll030711_bush.html
Rising Doubts
President Facing New Challenges of Credibility and Casualties
Americans are expressing rising dismay with U.S. casualties in Iraq,
declining confidence in the Bush administration -- and growing doubt
whether the war was worth fighting.
The administration faces trouble on credibility and casualties alike.
Half the public thinks it "intentionally exaggerated" evidence that
Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
And 52 percent, a majority for the first time, call the level of U.S.
casualties "unacceptable."
While 57 percent still say the war was worth fighting, that's fallen
from 70 percent as the main fighting wound down at the end of April.
Eighty percent now express concern about getting "bogged down in a
long and costly peacekeeping mission"; 43 percent are "very concerned"
about that outcome, up 11 points since last month.
Bush's Approval at Lowest Since 9/11
Bush's own ratings have suffered in tandem with these concerns.
His approval rating for handling the situation in Iraq has fallen by
17 points since the end of April, from 75 percent then to 58 percent
now.
His overall job approval rating is down to 59 percent, matching its
lowest since Sept. 11, 2001, in ABCNEWS/Washington Post polls.
The number who "strongly" approve of his performance, 35 percent, is
down 15 points since late April to a post-9/11 low.
Rather than a sudden shift, most of these changes have occurred
gradually over the last month, in the face of continued disorder in
Iraq and disclosures about the administration's WMD evidence.
The trends don't help Bush with an election year approaching:
Most Americans have seen the Iraq war as an extension of the war on
terrorism, and that effort has been the wellspring of his popularity.
His ratings on other issues have been far lower; in this poll, for
instance, just 47 percent approve of his work on the economy.
Did these 47 % just arrive from another planet ? The only thing Bush
has managed to do with the economy is put it in a state of disaster,
and tells me these 47% are totally out to lunch.
______
__________________________________________
Ya might say that Bush is sliding slowly into the toilet.
Harry
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