Bush's poll numbers: How low can he go?

The president's job approval ratings hit new lows, both overall and on Iraq.

Published October 7, 2005 2:51PM (EDT)

A new CBS News poll hands George W. Bush the lowest approval rating he has ever received. Just 37 percent of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing overall. Only 32 percent of the public approves of his handling of Iraq, another all-time low. While 36 percent say that U.S. troops should stay in Iraq as long as it takes to get the job done, 59 percent say that the troops should come home as soon as possible. And more than 60 percent say that the federal government should cut funding for the war in order to pay for Hurricane Katrina.

The poll was taken before Bush gave his big speech yesterday -- the one in which he informed Americans that Iraq is the "central front" in the war on terror and that "progress" is being made there. On the other hand, it was also taken before Americans got the latest news from Iraq: Six U.S. Marines were killed in bombings Thursday, bringing the U.S. death toll there close to the 1,950 mark.


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

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George W. Bush Iraq Iraq War Middle East Polling War Room