New ratings shock for Bush
2005-09-11 11:08
Washington - US President George W Bush was turning on Sunday's fourth anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks into a show of resolve in the face of a new devastation - Hurricane Katrina.
Bush, whose approval ratings have hit new lows after his administration's slow disaster response, plans to attend a memorial service for September 11 victims in Washington and observe a moment of silence on the White House's South Lawn before visiting the hard- hit state of Mississippi, his third trip to the disaster zone.
Four years ago, Bush's standing as a leader surged when he rallied Americans after al-Qaeda's suicide plane attacks on New York and Washington, carrying him through re-election in 2002.
Now US casualties in Iraq are dogging his presidency, and a Newsweek poll on Saturday said that about every second American doesn't trust the government to prevent another 9/11-style attack.
Bush evoked his determination "to win the war on terror" during a White House ceremony on Friday honouring firefighters and police officers who died as a result of the attacks.
"Four years later, Americans remember the fears and uncertainty and confusion of that terrible morning," he said Saturday in his weekly radio address.
"But above all, we remember the resolve of our nation to defend our freedom, rebuild a wounded city and care for our neighbours in need."
Today, Bush declared, the nation's response to the August 29 hurricane -which flattened entire towns on the US Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans - again "brings out the best in the American spirit".
In New York, a memorial service was scheduled Sunday at "Ground Zero", the former site of the World Trade Center (WTC).
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, whose country commands a multinational force in Iraq, was to attend a service in San Francisco with September 11 survivors.
About 3 000 people died in the September 11 attacks, carried out by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network.
Bush has told Americans and the world again and again that the war on terror will take a long time.
"The war that began for America on September 11, 2001 continues to call on the courage of our men and women in uniform and the perseverance of our citizens," he said in a statement keyed to the anniversary.
Yet Newsweek said only 38% of Americans approve of the way Bush is doing his job, a record low for him in the magazine's opinion polls. The poll said 52% do not trust Bush to make the right decisions during a domestic or international crisis.
The latest dip follows Bush's fumbling response to Katrina, but the troubled aftermath of the US-led invasion of Iraq - ostensibly launched as part of the war on terror - also weighs on his ratings.
Four years after what Americans call 9/11, there is other unfinished business. Bin Laden remains free. Al-Jazeera television recently aired a tape in which his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, threatened more terror attacks in Europe.
And the new "Freedom Tower" skyscraper to replace the WTC won't be ready until 2001 because of a redesign to make it stronger against terrorism.
- SAPA