Gallup asked Americans to rate George W. Bush on five issues facing the nation. The good news for the president is to be expected: He “fares the best” when the issue is terrorism. The bad news? Only 47 percent of the public approves of the way he’s handling that issue, and it gets a whole lot worse from there.
The economy? Thirty-nine percent of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing. Foreign affairs? Thirty-eight percent approve. The Middle East? Thirty-seven percent. Iraq? Thirty-five percent.
Overall, the president’s approval rating remains stuck in the same range where it has been for the past month; it’s at 37 percent now, one statistically insignificant point higher than it was in early June and three points down from where it was a couple of weeks ago.
