Bush Iraq Approval Rating Low/Honesty Questioned--AP

[Falls City Beer]

Poll: Bush's Iraq rating at low point
Opinion of president's honesty also sinks

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans' approval of President Bush's handling of Iraq is at its lowest level yet, according to an AP-Ipsos poll that also suggests fewer than half now think he is honest.

A solid majority still see Bush as a strong and likable leader, though the poll indicates the president's confidence is seen as arrogance by a growing number.

Approval of Bush's handling of Iraq, which had been hovering in the low- to mid-40s most of the year, dipped to 38 percent. Midwesterners and young women and men with a high school education or less were most likely to disapprove of Bush on his handling of Iraq in the past six months.

American troops have suffered heavy casualties in Iraq this month. On Wednesday, 14 Marines were killed in the Euphrates River valley in the worst roadside bombing targeting Americans since the war began in March 2003.

On Monday, seven Marines were killed, six of whom died in a gun battle near Haditha in western Iraq.

William Anderson, a retired Republican from Fort Worth, Texas, said Bush "has the right intentions, but he's going about them the wrong way."

"Iraq is one of the issues that everybody has a problem with," Anderson said. "There are some big discussions about it around town. Everybody's got their agreements and disagreements. It seems like there's no end. Is it going to end up another Vietnam?"

If worries about Iraq continue, they could become a major issue in the 2006 midterm congressional races, and if the war is still going in 2008, they could be a factor in the presidential race.

Bush's overall job approval was at 42 percent, with 55 percent disapproving. That is about where Bush's approval has been all summer but slightly lower than at the beginning of the year.

The portion of respondents who consider Bush honest has dropped slightly from January, when 53 percent described him that way while 45 percent did not. Now, people are just about evenly split on that issue -- with 48 percent saying he is honest and 50 percent saying he is not.

The drop in the number of people who see Bush as honest was largest among middle-aged Americans as well as suburban women, a key voting group in the 2004 election. A further erosion of trust could make it tougher for Bush to win support for his policies in Congress and internationally.

"The reason that trust is so important has to do with the long-standing belief that you could trust him, even if you don't always agree with him and don't understand what he's doing," said Bruce Buchanan, a political scientist at the University of Texas. "The honesty dip is partly caused by a loss of faith in his credibility on Iraq."

The president said Thursday from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, that threats from al Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, "make it clear that Iraq is a part of this war on terror, and we're at war."

Bush pledged to "complete this job in Iraq."

Almost two-thirds in the poll described Bush as strong and likable.

"He's a man of character," said Cheryl Cheyney, a school bus driver from Cumming, Georgia, and a Republican. "He's very honest in the things he says. I agree with his belief system, the way he believes in God and is not afraid to show it. That's very important to me."

But the portion of respondents who view his confidence as arrogance has increased from 49 percent in January to 56 percent now.

"This country is a monarchy," said Charles Nuutinen, a 62-year-old independent from Greenville, Wisconsin. "He's turning this country into Saudi Arabia. He does what he wants. He doesn't care what the people want."

Six in 10 surveyed said they think the country is headed down the wrong track, despite some encouraging economic news in recent weeks.

"Iraq is just a great weight holding down perceptions of an economy that is quite robust," said Karlyn Bowman, a public opinion analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. "Whenever you have troops in harm's way, people are anxious about things in general."

Ipsos, an international polling firm, conducted the poll of 1,000 adults between August 1-3. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

[Rojo]

"Iraq is just a great weight holding down perceptions of an economy that is quite robust," said Karlyn Bowman, a public opinion analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. "Whenever you have troops in harm's way, people are anxious about things in general."

Whatever. This "robustness" is a mirage of credit-card fueled spending by homeowners who think they're rich because of their bubble-priced homes and Chinese-financed deficit spending. A hard rain's gonna fall.

[RedFanAlways1966]

How come these pollsters never ask me for my opinion? Who do they ask?

[CrackerJack]

Whatever. This "robustness" is a mirage of credit-card fueled spending by homeowners who think they're rich because of their bubble-priced homes and Chinese-financed deficit spending. A hard rain's gonna fall.

Very true.

"He's a man of character," said Cheryl Cheyney, a school bus driver from Cumming, Georgia, and a Republican. "He's very honest in the things he says. I agree with his belief system, the way he believes in God and is not afraid to show it. That's very important to me."

It's this idiotic mentality that almost makes me wish there was a minimum IQ score before people were allowed to vote or give birth. This country depresses me.

[registerthis]

Originally Posted by CrackerJack

It's this idiotic mentality that almost makes me wish there was a minimum IQ score before people were allowed to vote or give birth. This country depresses me.

Yes! We need a return to Jim Crowe-style voting laws. That will solve our problems.

[Rojo]

"He's a man of character," said Cheryl Cheyney, a school bus driver from Cumming, Georgia, and a Republican. "He's very honest in the things he says. I agree with his belief system, the way he believes in God and is not afraid to show it. That's very important to me."

Mandatory Norplant.

[RedFanAlways1966]

Originally Posted by CrackerJack

It's this idiotic mentality that almost makes me wish there was a minimum IQ score before people were allowed to vote or give birth. This country depresses me.

Gee... think you are smarter than most? Those are some harsh words. Describing the lady or an entire group? Give us some elitist comments about the man. I would assume that your description would be highly intellectual and would require idiotic Repubs to use a dictionary/thesaurus to understand.

Takes a real intellect to call people names like idiot for giving their opinion of our president! Impress me some more with those intellectual adjectives.

BTW... you can leave this country anytime. I can find millions of people, not as intellectual as you of course, who would help you pack. Don't let that red-white-and-blue door hit ya on the way out. But of course you are too smart to let that happen (the door and leaving a great country).

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by RedFanAlways1966

How come these pollsters never ask me for my opinion? Who do they ask?

Well, 38% that feel the way you do.

[PickOff]

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

-Thomas Jefferson

[zombie-a-go-go]

I can't leave the country; it would violate my parole.

[RedFanAlways1966]

Originally Posted by zombie-a-go-go

I can't leave the country; it would violate my parole.

And my wife won't give me permission... darn her! :

[LvJ]

I still love him.