posted on September 21, 2005 02:51:44 PM new
Take notice at the bottom of this article/poll that by 4 to 1 Americans want a independent panel not Congress to investigate the government's response to Katrina.
President sinking in ratings
By Susan Page, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Americans' views of President Bush and his leadership have soured in the wake of dismay over the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, the course of the Iraq war and the future of the economy.
President Bush's approval rating for handling the hurricane dipped after his adress to the nation.
By J. Scott Applewhite, AP
Bush's rating for handling each of those issues dropped to his lowest yet in a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday. Assessments of his personal qualities also fell: For the first time, a majority says he isn't a strong and decisive leader. (Related: Poll results)
Bush's overall approval rating is 40%, equaling a previous low. His disapproval is 58%, a new high.
"Bush stands at a precipice," says Carroll Doherty of the non--——partisan Pew Research Center. "He's lost ground among independents. He seems to be starting to lose ground among his own party. And he lost the Democrats a long time ago."
By a record 66%-31%, independents disapprove of the job Bush is doing as president.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan says the president "knows a leader must govern based on what he believes is right, not based on polls." Bush is "working to address the priorities that Americans are most concerned about," he says.
Of the poll's respondents, 30% identified themselves as Republicans, 33% as independents and 36% as Democrats.
The survey shows signs of friction between the two most pressing concerns on Bush's agenda: the Iraq war and Katrina recovery.
A 54% majority says the best way for the government to pay for hurricane relief is by cutting spending for the war. Just 6% support spending cuts in domestic programs, as Bush has suggested.
Nearly two-thirds of those polled, 63%, say some or all of the U.S. troops in Iraq should be withdrawn. A record-high 59% say it was a mistake to invade.
Bush's standing declined even though Americans by 45%-27% approve of the proposals he unveiled in a nationally televised address Thursday to deal with Katrina. Seven in 10 express confidence the administration can assist victims.
But assessments of Bush on the hurricane dipped after the speech: 56% say he has taken steps to help victims mostly for political reasons, not because he cares about them.
By more than 4-to-1, Americans want an independent panel — not Congress — to investigate the government's response to Katrina.
