Reply #: LAT (poll): Bush's Ratings Sink, but Trust Remains (worst #s ever) [View All]

Bush's Ratings Sink, but Trust Remains
By Ronald Brownstein, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — As President Bush prepares for next week's State of the Union address, he faces widespread discontent over his job performance and the nation's direction that could threaten his party in the 2006 election, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

In the survey, 43% of Americans said they approved of Bush's performance as president — his weakest showing ever in a Times poll.

He received even lower marks for his handling of the economy, healthcare and Iraq — especially from women, who the poll found had turned against him on several fronts. And by a 2-1 ratio, those surveyed said the nation needed to change direction from the overall course Bush had set.

But most of those surveyed believed Bush's policies had made the nation more secure. And a plurality say they trusted him more than they did Democrats to protect the country against terrorism — advantages that could help Republicans defend their House and Senate majorities in November.

The poll found a majority still willing to take tough steps to reduce the risk of terrorism — including surrendering some of their civil liberties and supporting military action against Iran if it continues to advance toward developing nuclear weapons....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-poll27jan27,0,510814.story?coll=la-home-headlines