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Bush Rating Recovers, But Still Below 50% in U.S.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - George W. Bush is slowly regaining public support in the United States, according to a poll by Gallup released by CNN and USA Today. 45 per cent of respondents approve of the president's performance, up five points in five days.
Last week's approval rating of 40 per cent was the lowest for the sitting president in a national Gallup poll. Bush had his best showing in a survey conducted in late September 2001, where 90 per cent of respondents were satisfied with his performance.
Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. Yesterday, Bush travelled to the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. Before leaving Washington, the American president said, "A lot of people are working hard to help those who have been affected, and I want to thank the people for their efforts. The results are not acceptable."
Hurricane Katrina hit the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Aug. 29. Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco said the death toll from the natural disaster could be "in the thousands." New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin criticized the role of federal officials in the relief efforts, saying, "They don't have a clue what's going on down here."
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of how George W. Bush is handling his job as president?
Aug. 30 | Aug. 25 | Aug. 11 | Aug. 7 | |
Approve | 45% | 40% | 45% | 45% |
Disapprove | 52% | 56% | 51% | 51% |
Source: Gallup / CNN / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,007 American adults, conducted from Aug. 28 to Aug. 30, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.