I promised a while back not to publish regular polls about the president — most of which simply reinforce the obvious fact that Bush is unpopular — unless he reached new lows. In this respect, I think the new CBS poll qualifies as noteworthy.
Mr. Bush’s overall approval rating has fallen to just 28 percent, a new low, while more than twice as many (64 percent) disapprove of the way he’s handling his job.
Two-thirds of Americans remain opposed to the president’s plan for sending more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq — roughly the same number as after Mr. Bush announced the plan. And 72 percent believe he should seek congressional approval for the troop increase.
It’s likely that Tony Snow would dismiss it as “just a number,” but there seems to be something psychological about these thresholds. When Bush dropped into the 40s, it was indicative of a president who was losing the middle. When he dropped into the 30s, Bush was scraping the barrel, relying on little more than support from his obstinate base. But the 20s? We’re looking at a president who has lost just about everyone, including some of his base.
In a historical context, Bush’s only post-WWII rival for public disapproval is Nixon in the midst of the Watergate crisis that drove him to resign.
The doubt on Capitol Hill reflects the continuing erosion of Bush’s public support across the country. His approval rating is at the lowest level of his presidency, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, and only twice in the past six decades has a president delivered his annual speech to the nation in a weaker condition in the polls — Harry S. Truman in the midst of the Korean War in 1952 and Richard M. Nixon in the throes of Watergate in 1974.
For the first time, majorities of Americans say Bush cannot be trusted in a crisis, has not made the country safer and should withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq to avoid further casualties rather than leave them until civil order is restored. And, in a sign of intensifying opposition, a majority — 51 percent — for the first time expressed strong disapproval of Bush’s performance, compared with 17 percent who strongly approved.
“The world changed significantly on Election Day, and the only people who were surprised were them,” GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio said of Bush and his aides. Now, he added, “they’ve backed themselves into a tough corner, and the problem is his continued insistence for the troop increase, which flies in the face of what 70 percent of Americans want, makes him look . . . like [he’s saying], ‘I’ll listen to you, but I’ll do what I want anyway.’ “
Last week was supposed to be the start of Bush’s turn-around. The White House would launch one of its patented public-relations offenses, the gang would fan out across the media, and the public would hear all about the president’s vision.
There’s an old line, “Better to be silent and be thought a fool, than speak out and remove all doubt.” As it turns out, Bush might have been better off keeping the adage in mind. Since launching his new p.r. offensive, the public disapproves of him more, dislikes him more, distrusts him more, and rejects more of his agenda.
Good luck with that State of the Union, Mr. President. Just don’t count on too much applause.