Reply #7: Bush popularity slips: poll

[UpInArms]

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B83AD3589%2D943A%2D4003%2D8A3A%2DC3598A203018%7D&siteid=mktw

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- President Bush's overall approval rating has slipped to a record-low 40%, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Thursday.

Hurricane Katrina has accelerated the erosion in public support for the Iraq war as Bush's core of supporters dwindles and economic pessimism turns Americans' attention inward, The Journal reported in a story in its online edition. See Wall Street Journal story (subscription).

Of particular concern to lawmakers facing voters next year, The Journal said, is that Americans have turned pessimistic on the outlook for the economy.

Some 49% expect the economy to get worse over the next 12 months, triple the 16% who expect it to improve, the poll showed. In January, those numbers were essentially reversed, the Journal reported.

Shaken by high gas prices and bracing for further jolts, Americans have turned negative about Mr. Bush across the board -- on handling the economy, foreign policy, and even the war on terrorism, The Journal said..

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