Gas Prices, Iraq War Hurt Bush in Poll

U.S. President George Bush’s public approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 45 percent in a Washington Post/ABC News poll published Wednesday.

The figure is a 7-point drop since January, with the majority of respondents expressing dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq and soaring gasoline prices. Fifty-three percent disapproved of the job Bush is doing.

Forty-two percent approved of the job Bush is doing in Iraq; 57 percent disapproved, unchanged in recent months. Slightly more than half — 53 percent — said the war was not worth it, while 46 percent said it was, identical to the results of a Post-ABC poll two months ago.

Sixty percent said there are steps the administration could take to reduce gas prices, while slightly more than a third say the recent price jump has been due to factors beyond the administration’s control.

Congress also took a blow in the poll, with just 37 percent approving of its methods, the lowest rating for lawmakers in nearly eight years, the Post said.