JUST IN! Poll: Public's trust in Bush at NEW LOW
President trails John Kerry by 8 percentage points
The Associated Press
Updated: 8:24 p.m. ET Feb. 12, 2004
msnbc.msn.com
WASHINGTON - The public’s trust in President Bush is at the lowest point of his presidency, with about half of those surveyed saying he is honest and trustworthy and almost that many saying he is not, according to a poll released Thursday.
The ABC News-Washington Post poll found that 52 percent felt Bush was trustworthy, while 42 percent did not. The poll found public support for the war in Iraq slipping, and people were about evenly split on whether they approve of the job he is doing as president or not.
For the first time in this poll, support for the war dipped just below half, 48 percent, with an equal share, 50 percent, saying it was not worth fighting.
More than half in the poll, 54 percent, said that the Bush administration intentionally exaggerated the threat from weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but more of that group says administration officials exaggerated the threat than said they lied.
The poll highlighted Bush’s vulnerabilities after a month dominated by the Democratic presidential campaign and an admission by administration officials that banned weapons may not be found in Iraq.
Job approval drops after Kay disclosure
A tracking poll by the National Annenberg Election Survey found that Bush’s overall job approval dropped sharply in late January after David Kay, the former chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq, said he did not think those weapons existed.
More than half in the poll, 54 percent, said that the Bush administration intentionally exaggerated the threat from weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
In a matchup with Democratic front-runner John Kerry, Bush trailed the Massachusetts senator by 51 percent to 43 percent.
The public remains strongly supportive of Bush on his handling of the campaign against terrorism and his leadership skills — with six in 10 or more approving of him on terrorism and saying he is a strong leader.
Almost half in the poll, 47 percent, said the economy has gotten worse while Bush was president — reflecting recent signs that consumers are growing more anxious about the economy. Only four in 10 said Bush understand the problems of people like them.
The poll of 1,003 adults was taken Tuesday and Wednesday. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. |
