President George Bush’s overall approval rating has slid steadily downward over the summer, largely because of a major withering of support in the way he is conducting foreign policy, a CBS News-New York Times poll found.
The poll, released on Saturday, also found a majority of Americans think Bush lacks a clear plan to carry out his ‘war on terror’.
Overall, the poll found that 63% approve of the way Bush is doing his job. While strong for a president almost two years on the job, that number is down three percentage points from the summer’s 66% rating and down 14% from his 87% approval of fall 2001.
The 14-point drop could prove dangerous for the administration, the poll said. Foreign policy had been a weak point for Bush before the September 11 attacks, but afterward his approval rating soared.
The new poll put his approval rating almost back at pre-September 11 levels.
It found 54% support his foreign policy. Only two months ago, 68% approved his foreign policy, however, and a year ago the level stood at almost three-fourths approval. Before September 11, just under half the respondents approved his foreign policy performance.
The poll also found that, while almost two out of three feel Bush has not explained his position on Iraq sufficiently, Americans generally support his pre-emptive policy against that Middle East country.
Eight in 10 said they think Iraq has weapons of mass
destruction, and six in 10 said Iraq plans to use them against the United States.
Asked if the United States should attack if it thinks Iraq plans an attack, even if none has occurred, six in 10 said yes. Three-fourths said the United States should pre-empt a feared nuclear attack from Iraq.
The telephone poll of 937 adults was conducted September 2-5 and has an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points. – Sapa-AP