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Bush rating hits a new low
21/06/2007 22:52 - (SA)
Washington - United States President George W Bush's approval rating plunged to a new low of 26%, making him the least popular president since Richard Nixon, a poll released on Thursday has found.
The Newsweek magazine poll showed that 26% of Americans, just more than one in four, approve of the job Bush is doing, marking his lowest level of backing since taking office in January 2001.
"In fact, the only president in the last 35 years to score lower than Bush is Richard Nixon," said the report.
"Nixon's approval rating tumbled to 23% in January 1974, seven months before his resignation over the botched Watergate break-in."
The survey found that the public's disillusionment with Bush spread from the Iraq war to domestic issues, with 73% of Americans disapproving of the job Bush had done with Iraq and a record-low 23% in favour.
Fifty percent said they disapproved of Bush's handling of homeland security and terrorism - once a strong point for his administration after the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States.
Other poll also a new low
Sixty percent said they disapproved of his handling of the economy, 61% disapproved of health care and 63% disapproved of immigration.
The poll was conducted on Monday and Tuesday and carries a four-point margin of error.
A separate poll released a week ago by The Wall Street Journal and NBC news showed Bush's approval rate at 29%.
That figure was a new low for the WSJ/NBC poll, after previously diving to 34% in December 2006.
- AFP
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