December 15, 2004

Abstract: (Angus Reid - CPOD) Dec. 15, 2004 - George W. Bush maintains a steady level of public support in the United States, according to a poll by Gallup released by CNN and USA Today. 53 per cent of respondents approve of the president's performance, a two per cent drop since November.

(Angus Reid - CPOD) Dec. 15, 2004 - George W. Bush maintains a steady level of public support in the United States, according to a poll by Gallup released by CNN and USA Today. 53 per cent of respondents approve of the president's performance, a two per cent drop since November.

In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. On Nov. 2, Republican incumbent Bush earned a second term after securing 286 electoral votes from 31 states.

Yesterday, Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the country's highest civilian honour—to former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director George Tenet, former Iraq civilian administrator Paul Bremer and retired general Tommy Franks, who oversaw military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

After Bush's re-election, nine of the 15 cabinet secretaries have announced their resignations. The cabinet changes will mark the largest reorganization in an incumbent American federal administration since Richard Nixon's re-election in 1972. Bush will be sworn in for his second four-year term on Jan. 20, 2005.

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of how George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

	Dec. 5-8	Nov. 19-21	Nov. 7-10
Approve	53%	55%	53%
Disapprove	44%	42%	44%

Source: Gallup / CNN / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,003 American adults, conducted from Dec. 5 to Dec. 8, 2004. Margin of error is 3 per cent.