Bush, GOP mired in political quicksand - Politics - MSNBC.com

Bush, GOP mired in political quicksand - Politics - MSNBC.com:

"According to the poll, Bush’s approval rating stands at an all-time low of 38 percent, a one-point decline since October; in fact, this is the third consecutive NBC/Journal survey showing Bush at an all-time low on his job approval. And it doesn’t stop there: Approval for his handling of the economy (34 percent), foreign policy (35 percent), terrorism (39 percent), and Iraq (32 percent) have all hit rock bottom.

The poll, which was conducted of 1,003 adults from Nov. 4-7 and which has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points, comes after a volatile last few weeks for the Bush White House. On Oct. 25, the U.S. death count in Iraq reached the 2,000 milestone. On Oct. 27, Harriet Miers withdrew her Supreme Court nomination. A day later, Libby was indicted by special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in the CIA leak investigation.

Indeed, Iraq — which has emerged as the public’s top priority in the poll — has become a particularly thorny issue for Bush. Fifty-seven percent believe he deliberately misled people to make the case for war, compared with 35 percent who say he gave the most accurate information he had. In addition, 58 percent are less confident the war will come to a successful conclusion, and 57 percent say the United States should reduce the number of U.S. troops there.

The CIA leak investigation also seems to be dogging the Bush administration. Seventy-nine percent think that Libby’s indictment is a serious matter. (Libby has since resigned from the administration.) Moreover, only 33 percent give Bush positive ratings for being honest and straightforward — a drop of 17 points since January, when Bush held a 50-to-36 percent score on this question."