Watch Out Below - Bush Falls Below 35%

by Steve

"Let me put it to you this way: I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it. It is my style."
President Bush, November 4, 2004, writing another check he'll never cash.

34%.

Read that number several times and then ask yourself if your assumptions about his bedrock base of support are still intact.

Iraq, Dubai, and lingering doubts about Katrina took his support below the 35% “Mendoza line” we have assumed was his bedrock.

His approval rating fell 8 points in one month.

For the first time in this poll, most Americans say the president does not care much about people like themselves. Fifty-one percent now think he doesn't care, compared to 47 percent last fall.

Just 30 percent approve of how Mr. Bush is handling the Iraq war, another all-time low.

By two to one, the poll finds Americans think U.S. efforts to bring stability to Iraq are going badly – the worst assessment yet of progress in Iraq.

Even on fighting terrorism, which has long been a strong suit for Mr. Bush, his ratings dropped lower than ever. Half of Americans say they disapprove of how he's handling the war on terror, while 43 percent approve.

Should Dubai operate American ports?
Yes: 21%
No: 70%

58% of Republicans oppose this also.

How well are things going in Iraq?
Well: 36%
Badly: 62%

Views of Bush
Favorable: 29%
Unfavorable: 53%

By the way, a majority in this poll thought that Bush did not have the authority to conduct domestic wiretapping without warrants.

So now, will the Democrats come out and play finally?

Image courtesy of CBS News