Bush’s Disapproval Ratings

The bad news for Bush throughout late March and April – including the Clarke revelations about Bush’s lack of focus on terrorism, his reluctantly-given personal testimony in front of the 9/11 commission, and the sharp increase in violence in Iraq – all seemed to have no effect on how the US public viewed Bush’s presidency. In fact, if anything the adversity seemed to improve people’s opinions of him.

But in the past week or two that may have begun to change. Gallup’s new poll, reported by PollingReport.com, shows George Bush’s disapproval ratings above 50% for the first time in his presidency:

Clearly the horrible stories about prisoner abuse in Iraq at the hands of the US military bothers people in a way that events in March and April did not. Furthermore, poll results such as these may indicate that many people believe that the crimes at Abu Ghraib reflect poorly on George Bush’s presidency, not just on a few individual members of the military.

The White House may want to move up their date for a dramatic OBL capture.

Kash