The latest Gallup survey finds Americans about evenly divided in their assessment of how well President George W. Bush is handling his job, but decidedly negative in their assessment of Congress and of how things are going in the country. Iraq and the economy continue to top the public's list of most important problems facing the country.

The poll, conducted June 6-8, shows that 47% of Americans approve, and 49% disapprove, of Bush's job performance. In the past nine polls, since the third week in March, Bush has averaged a 48% to 48% approval to disapproval rating. In the previous nine Gallup readings, taken between Jan. 3 and March 20, Bush averaged a 52% to 44% approval to disapproval rating.

The public's rating of Congress is far more negative than its rating of Bush. Just 34% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 59% disapprove -- the lowest Gallup rating since July 1997. Last month's rating was almost as bad -- 35% approval to 57% disapproval -- but earlier this year, more than 4 in 10 approved. In 2004, approval did not dip below the 40% mark; and in 2003, it hovered just at or below the 50% level for the first seven months, but averaged only 42% for the rest of the year.

Posted by: Jonathan Singer / 2:25 PM | Basie! Home