CBS NEWS POLL
For release: February 27, 2006
6:30 P.M.
PRESIDENT BUSH, THE PORTS, AND
IRAQ
February 22-26, 2006
The Bush Administration faces a public overwhelmingly opposed to the agreement to give a Dubai-owned firm operational control over six American ports, and more pessimistic about the situation in Iraq than ever before. This, along with reminders of the massive impact of Hurricane Katrina and negative assessments of how the government and the President have handled it for six months, has brought the President's approval ratings down to new lows.
George W. Bush now receives the lowest marks of his Presidency, even on fighting terrorism, a measure that has long been his strongest suit. Half of Americans now disapprove of how he is handling that effort, while 43% approve.
BUSH'S HANDLING OF WAR ON TERROR
Now 1/2006 10/2005 2/2005A large majority of Republicans still approves of the President's handling of terrorism, although their approval, like that of all adults, has dropped nine points in the last month, to 78% now. Most Democrats and Independents disapprove.
Bush's overall job rating has tumbled, too, to an all-time low in this poll. It is now 34%, down from 42% last month. 59% disapprove. The previous low of 35% came last October, one month after Hurricane Katrina, shortly after the withdrawal of Harriet Miers from a Supreme Court nomination and just after U.S. deaths in Iraq reached the 2,000 mark. Not since November 2004 has a majority approved of the President's overall performance.
PRES. BUSH JOB APPROVALS
Now 1/2006 10/2005
11/2004
Overall 34%
42%
35% 51%
Iraq 30%
37%
32% 40%
Economy 32% 39%
34% 42%
Energy 27% -- -- --
Ratings for the President's handling of the Iraq war have also plummeted, to
their all-time low of 30%. And approval of his handling of the economy is also
down. So are evaluations of the national economy. Half say it is in good shape
today; last month 57% described it that way.
THE NATIONAL ECONOMY IS…
Now 1/2006
Good 50%
57%
Bad
48% 42%
Just 27% of Americans approve of how President Bush is handling the overall energy situation. 60% disapprove. Those evaluations are lower than those recorded near the start of his Administration. And on the assessment of his handling of the response to Hurricane Katrina, only 32% approve.
THE PORTS DEAL
Just 21% say that the U.S. should let a United Arab Emirates country operate six American ports – 70% say this should not be allowed.
SHOULD U.A.E. COMPANY OPERATE U.S. PORTS?
Yes 21%
No 70%
The opposition to the ports deal crosses party lines – 58% of Republicans oppose it, as do more than seven in ten Democrats and Independents. The question text included Bush administration positions – that the U.S. would continue to control security at the ports, that a foreign company from Britain now runs the ports, and that the U.A.E. is an ally of the U.S.
THE IRAQ WAR
Americans' perceptions of the U.S. effort in Iraq are at an all-time low. By two to one, Americans think U.S. efforts to bring stability an order to Iraq are going badly – the worst assessment they have made of progress in Iraq.
Now, just 36% say things are going well for the U.S. in Iraq. The only other times fewer than 40% were positive were in spring 2004, right after the photographs of abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison were published. In January, after the Iraqi election, 45% of American said things were going well.
HOW ARE THINGS GOING IN IRAQ?
Now 1/2006 5/2004
5/2003
Well
36% 45%
37% 72%
Badly
62 54
60
24
Republicans are still positive about what's happening in Iraq. Two-thirds of Republicans say the rebuilding effort is going well there. But that, too, has slipped a bit since January, when three-quarters thought so.
This negative assessment of how things are going has affected evaluations of the war overall. Now, just 29%, the lowest since the spring of 2004, say the results of the war in Iraq have been worth the cost. However, more, 41%, say that removing Saddam Hussein from power was worth the costs.
IS IRAQ WORTH THE COST?
Yes No
The results of the
war
29% 63
Removing Saddam Hussein 41% 53
There has also been a decline on the question of overall U.S. involvement in Iraq. Only 41% now say that the U.S. did the right thing taking military action against Iraq. Last month, after the Iraqi election, 47% agreed. This matches the low levels of support found last October, at the time of the previous lowest overall approval rating for the President. The last time a majority approved of military action in Iraq was just before the 2004 election.
U.S. MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ
Now 1/2006
10/2005 10/2004
Right
thing
41%
47%
41% 53%
Should have stayed
out
54
50
55 42
ASSESSING THE PRESIDENT
For the first time in this poll, most Americans - 51% - say George W. Bush
does not care much about people like themselves. Last fall, 47% thought he did
not care. Today just 17% say Bush cares a lot about people like them, and
another 30% think he cares some.
DOES BUSH CARE ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE YOU?
Now 10/2005 1/2002
A
lot
17%
24% 34%
Some
30% 28%
42%
Not
much/none
51% 47%
23%
And even aside from his low job performance rating, few Americans today –
just 29% - offer a positive view of George W. Bush. 53% have an unfavorable
view of him, his highest unfavorable rating among all Americans since he took
office.
VIEWS OF GEORGE W. BUSH
Now 10/2005 2/2004
11/2002 3/2001
Favorable
29% 33%
44%
55% 42%
Unfavorable
53
51
36
25 19
Can't
say/
17
15
19
20 38
Haven't heard enough
FOREIGN POLICY CONCERNS
When Americans are asked about the most important problems facing the country today, four in ten mention a foreign concern – the war, terrorism, defense, or another international issue. And in the last few weeks, international issues in the news included more than the ports controversy and the war in Iraq.
Most Americans believe that the nuclear threat from Iran can still be contained with diplomacy. One in five Americans now thinks the threat from Iran requires military action now.
THREAT FROM IRAN….
Requires military action
now 20%
Can be contained with diplomacy 55
Not a threat at this
time
19
But Americans are divided about U.S. intervention, generally, in countries that are unfriendly to the U.S. They divide evenly on whether the U.S. government should work secretly inside unfriendly countries to try and overthrow those governments. In the year after 9/11, 70% thought the C.I.A. should be taking such actions.
SHOULD U.S. SECRETLY TRY TO OVERTHROW
UNFRIENDLY GOVERNMENTS?
Yes 44%
No 44
Americans reject violent Muslim reaction to the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper – which included protests around the world. Only 9% say that is justified. However, Americans are divided on whether or not the Danish newspaper should have published those cartoons in the first place. On both questions, more than a third said they didn't know enough to judge.
DANISH CARTOON CONTROVERSY
Justified Not justified Don't Know
Publishing
cartoons
32%
27
41
Violent Muslim reaction
9%
56
35
Favorable assessments of Islam, the religion, are slightly lower now than they were in the months after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The public is also less certain than it was then that Islam is no more violent a religion than others are.
OPINION OF ISLAM
Now
2/2002
Favorable
23%
30%
Not Favorable
36
33
Now 3/2002 (GALLUP)
More
39% 35%
Same
35 49
Less
8 12
THE VICE-PRESIDENT AND THE HUNTING ACCIDENT
One surprising bright spot for the Administration is that Americans appear ready to move on after the hunting accident involving Vice-President Dick Cheney: most say it was understandable that the accident could have occurred.
An overwhelming majority – 76% - says the accident was understandable.
Hunters (those who have gone hunting in the last year) feel much the same. One
in five Americans says there was no excuse for the accident.
VIEWS OF &CHENEYrsquo;S HUNTING ACCIDENT…
Understandable it could happen
76%
No excuse for it to
happen
20
The coverage of the hunting accident may have made the public's generally negative view of Vice-President Cheney a bit more so. Today 46% hold a negative view of Mr. Cheney, and just 18% hold a favorable one, down from 23% in January.
VIEWS OF DICK CHENEY
Now 1/2006
1/2005 1/2002
Favorable
18%
23%
28% 39
Unfavorable
46 41
33
11
Can't say/
35
35
38
49
Haven't heard enough
One-third of Americans believe Cheney has a stronger role as Vice-President in this White House than most other VPs have had in past Administrations. Democrats are just as likely as Republicans to feel this way. 42% of Americans say Cheney's influence is the same as that of his predecessors. This view is mostly unchanged from four years ago.
Almost half of Americans – including most Republicans – accept Cheney's explanation of why there was a delay in reporting the accident. But just as many – including most Democrats (who also hold negative overall views of the Vice President) aren't satisfied with that explanation.
CHENEY'S EXPLANATION FOR DELAY IN REPORTING THE ACCIDENT WAS…
All
Reps
Dems Inds
Satisfactory
46%
67%
30% 45%
Unsatisfactory
46
26
65 43
Back in October 1969, CBS News asked if Senator Ted Kennedy had given a
satisfactory explanation for not reporting his car accident at Chappaquidick
right away. Then, only 33% were satisfied.
Two-thirds of Americans clearly want to move on: they say the media has spent too much time covering the story now.
MEDIA COVERAGE OF CHENEY HUNTING ACCIDENT
Too much
time
66%
Right amount of time 22
Too little time 9
WIRETAPPING
The public remains divided as to whether or not it approves of the President
authorizing wiretaps on some phone calls in the U.S. without getting court
warrants in order to reduce the threat of terrorism. 51% now approve of the
practice, similar to results last month.
APPROVE OF BUSH AUTHORIZING WIRETAPS TO FIGHT TERRORISM?
Now 1/2006
Approve 51%
53%
Disapprove 47 46
83% of Republicans, as opposed to 33% of Democrats and 42% of Independents, approve of the President authorizing wiretaps to fight terrorism without a warrant.
When the specific reason for the wiretapping – to reduce the threat of terrorism – is omitted from the question, the number of Americans who approve of this action drops by 5 points.
APPROVE OF BUSH AUTHORIZING WIRETAPS?
Now 1/2006
Approve
46% 46%
Disapprove
50 50
Americans are somewhat skeptical of the Bush Administration's claim that the president currently has the legal authority to conduct such wiretaps. Slightly more than half of all Americans believe the President does not have this legal authority, while 43% believe he does.
DOES THE PRESIDENT HAVE THE LEGAL AUTHORITY TO AUTHORIZE
WIRETAPS WITHOUT A WARRANT TO FIGHT TERRORISM?
Yes 43%
No 51
Whether or not someone believes the President has the legal authority to conduct wiretaps without court warrants seems to be related to whether or not they approve of the wiretapping generally. 68% of Americans who approve of the President authorizing wiretaps without a court warrant in order to fight terrorism also believe he has the legal authority to do so. Conversely, only 7% of those who disapprove of the practice think he has the authority to conduct such wiretaps.
63% of Republicans – as opposed to 28% of Democrats and 43% of Independents – believe that the President has this authority in order to fight terrorism.
Changing the law would have limited impact on those Americans who both do not think the President has this legal authority and do not approve of the practice. 60% of those say they would still oppose the President authorizing wiretaps without a court warrant even if the law were changed to allow him to do so.
Nearly half of all Americans – 47% - said they had not much or no confidence in the ability of government agencies to correctly tell whose phone calls and emails should be monitored and whose should not, up 6 points from last month. Half the public does have confidence.
CONFIDENCE GOVERNMENT CAN CORRECTLY TELL
WHOSE CALLS SHOULD BE MONITORED?
Now 1/2006
Great deal
11% 10%
Fair amount
40 48
Not much/none
47 41
Fewer Americans are personally concerned that their own phone calls and emails will be monitored. 7 in 10 are not very or not at all concerned.
Now 1/2006
Very
14% 22%
Somewhat
17 13
Not very/not at all
70 64
Blacks are considerably more concerned than whites in this regard. 47% of blacks, compared to 27% of whites, say they are at least somewhat concerned.
But while most are not worried specifically about their own telephone calls and emails being monitored, many Americans continue to voice more broad concerns about losing some of their civil liberties. A third of all Americans say they are very concerned - and another third say they are at least somewhat concerned - that they might lose some of their civil liberties as a result of the measures enacted by the Bush Administration to fight terrorism. These numbers are virtually unchanged since last month.
CONCERNED ABOUT LOSING CIVIL LIBERTIES BECAUSE OF
BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S ANTI-TERROR MEASURES?
Now 1/2006
Very
33% 34%
Somewhat
31 30
Not very/not at all
34 35
Republicans are less likely to be concerned than Democrats or
Independents.
ASSESSING THE ADMINISTRATION
In general, while most - 67% - think that people in the Bush Administration generally do not take responsibility when things go wrong, the Bush Administration fares much better than most politicians do on this measure. A separate sample of respondents was asked if "most people in government," generally, took responsibility, and only 8% said yes.
DO…TAKE RESPONSIBILITY WHEN THINGS GO WRONG?
Yes No
People in Bush Administration 27% 67%
People in
government
8% 86%
However, amid the recent controversies -- whether the Cheney hunting accident was reported in a timely fashion, the announcement of the ports deal, and the recent debate over wiretapping, most Americans believe the Administration is generally too secretive about information that the public needs to know.
IS THE ADMINISTRATION TOO SECRETIVE?
Yes 58%
No 36
ASSESSING CONGRESS
The public continues to hold a dim view of Congress, with just 28% approving and 61% disapproving of the way Congress is handling its job.
JOB APPROVAL OF CONGRESS
Now 1/2006
2/2005
Approve
28%
29% 41%
Disapprove 61
61 44
One year ago the public was more evenly split, with 41% approving and 44% disapproving. While Congressional approval hovered in the low to mid 30s for most of last year, it dropped to 29% last month, and is currently the lowest job approval rating for Congress in almost a decade.
In both February 2002 (a few months after 9/11) and 1998 (at the start of President Clinton's Lewinsky scandal), 50% of Americans approved of how Congress was handling its job. Today's job approval numbers are closer to those seen at the beginning of 1994, when in January 30% of Americans approved and 58% disapproved of how Congress was handling its job. That year, the Democrats lost their majority in the House of Representatives.
_______________________________________________________________
This poll was conducted among a nationwide random sample of 1018 adults, interviewed by telephone February 22-26, 2006. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points.