How Low Can He Go?

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Multiple opinion polls show that President Bush's approval rating has reached its lowest point ever. Gallup pegs him at 40% approval and 56% disapproval. Gallup's analysis finds other bad news for the White House. "Some observers had argued that Bush's approval rating cannot go too much lower as long as Republicans remain robust in their support," says Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport. "Well, we are seeing some signs of slight erosion in the support for the president even among his base in the Republicans." Gallup also compared Bush's current standings against the ratings for the six other U.S. presidents who have served two terms since World War II. "Only one of the six presidents in the late summer of the year after they were relected was lower than Bush's current 40% rating, and that was Richard Nixon. ... Of course, at that point he was beset by the woes of Watergate." In addition to rising oil prices and dissatisfaction with Bush's domestic policies, the war on Iraq is taking its toll, as nearly two-thirds of Americans now feel the war has made them less safe from terrorism.