Down the drain in polls
Just 33% of Americans happy with Prez's job performance
By KENNETH R. BAZINET
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - President Bush will try to rally Americans around his plans for the country tonight despite approval ratings that rival the worst days of Richard Nixon's presidency.
As Bush rehearsed his speech in private, he was hit with a barrage of polls indicating Americans have little faith in his ability to manage the Iraq war or the economy.
With a 33% job approval rating, no President since Nixon has had worse grades the day before a State of the Union speech, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released yesterday.
In particular, Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq only has the approval of 31% of the public, as well as the confidence of 35% of Americans who believe more troops will help stabilize Iraq, according to an AP-AOL poll.
Not surprisingly, the Iraq war drowned out White House efforts to persuade the public to zero in on Bush's domestic initiatives in tonight's speech, including climate change, education and health care.
It will be Bush's first State of the Union address to a Democratic-controlled Congress, and that change will be marked by having the new House speaker, Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, sitting behind Bush instead of the GOP's Rep. Dennis Hastert of Illinois.
As he rehearsed with aides, Bush confronted more than public discontent on the war.
Sens. John Warner (R-Va.), Susan Collins, (R-Maine) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and Rep. Ben Nelson, (D-Neb.) proposed a resolution opposing more troops for Iraq, as GOP lawmakers continued to register their disdain for Bush's plan.
"The American G.I. was not trained, not sent over there, certainly not by resolution of this institution, to be placed in the middle of a fight between the Sunni and the Shiite and the wanton and just incomprehensible killing that's going on at this time," said Warner, former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Freshman Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) suggested Iraq has jumbled Bush's priorities, pointing to still-ravaged New Orleans as a victim of misplaced presidential priorities.
"If we're putting all this money into Iraq and ignoring New Orleans, then we're doing something wrong," said Webb, who will deliver tonight's Democratic rebuttal after Bush speaks.
Bush was also taking some heat over global warming, another contentious issue he plans to address in his speech.
Ten corporate CEOs at major utilities, aluminum and chemical companies and financial institutions called for mandatory reductions in pollution believed to contribute to climate change.
Most Americans list health care and global warming as major concerns, but they have little faith in Bush's ability to tackle the big issues.
Just 29% of likely voters say the country is on the right track, demonstrating the ground Bush will need to make up if he can turn around his presidency, a Zogby Interactive poll indicated.
Bush's health care proposal will offer annual tax breaks, ranging from $7,500 for individuals to $15,000 for families, under a plan that he will argue will spur the uninsured to buy health insurance. But he will also propose making health benefits taxable.
Originally published on January 23, 2007
