Bush's Final Approval Rating: 22 Percent

CBS News/N.Y. Times Poll Finds President Will Leave Office With Lowest Final Approval Rating Ever

(CBS) 
On Iraq, the public was behind Mr. Bush when the U.S. began military action nearly six years ago. In April 2003, a majority approved of the president’s action and 79 percent of Americans approved of the way Mr. Bush was handling the situation in Iraq - his highest rating ever on this question.

As the war continued and the U.S. casualties increased, public support began to wane. A year after the war began, 49 percent of Americans approved of the president’s handling of the war. In December 2006, only 21 percent approved of Mr. Bush's handling of the situation in Iraq - his lowest rating ever on this issue.

The last time a majority of Americans approved of the president’s handling of the Iraq war was immediately after the capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003.

Currently, 25 percent approve and 71 percent disapprove.

Terrorism has been the president’s strongest area throughout his presidency. In December 2001, 90 percent of Americans approved of his handling of the campaign against terrorism - his highest rating ever. The president continued to receive positive marks on the issue throughout his first term. But an unpopular war began to taint even these evaluations of him.

In October 2005, for the first time, fewer than half of Americans approved of Mr. Bush's handling of terrorism. Now, 47 percent approve and 48 percent disapprove.

A Look Back

In February 2001, the CBS News Poll took its first measure of the job Mr. Bush was doing as president: 53 percent of Americans approved and only 21 percent disapproved. That rating soared to 90 percent a few weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

The 43rd president's overall ratings tapered off somewhat but remained high throughout the remainder of 2001 and 2002. And in March 2003, after the initial days of the U.S. war in Iraq, 68 percent of Americans approved of the job Mr. Bush was doing as president.

By the fall of 2003, as the fighting in Iraq continued, Mr. Bush's approval rating began to decline. In November of that year, 49 percent approved of the job he was doing. It was the first time his approval rating was below 50 percent.

The president's approval rating improved after the capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003, but it fell as the prison abuse at Abu Ghraib came to light in the spring of 2004. In May 2004, just 41 percent of Americans approved of the job Mr. Bush was doing as president - his lowest rating to date at that point in time.

Heading into the 2004 presidential election, 49 percent of Americans approved of the president's performance. Just after he was re-elected, 51 percent approved - the last time a majority approved of the job Bush was doing.

But at no time during his second term in office would his approval rating reach 50 percent.

For the most part, the president's job rating continued to decline throughout his second term. In October 2005, with images of Hurricane Katrina still in the minds of many, his approval rating dipped below 40 percent for the first time, and in January 2007, fewer than 30 percent of Americans approved of the job Mr. Bush was doing.

In a poll conducted just before the 2008 presidential election, only 20 percent of Americans said they approved of the job President Bush was doing as president - the lowest rating for any president. Seventy-two percent disapproved.

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,112 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone January 11-15, 2009. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

[niners007]

You can chalk a large portion of his poll numbers up to the drive by media. NEVER I mean NEVER have I seen the media so relentlessly pound on a president. Even Nixon and Carter didn't have to endure the 24/7 news cycle back then and that was when real journalism still existed. No offense Dan Rather. Was Bush the greatest president? NO..Was he the worst NO. History will judge Bush more favorably than most think or will allow themselves to believe. Bush became someone people loved to hate, even when they couldn't explain it. Time however has a way of shedding the politics of this age and will reveal a president that acted in the best interest of his country. Believe it or not..I hope our youth learns that substance is more important than rhetoric in future elections. I am still waiting for my free mortgage, health care and money. Is the check in the mail yet? Can I quit my job yet?

[laurieleemoo]

So...anyone care to talk about the 8% approval rating which Congress has under the leadership of the Nancy Pelosi and the majority of congress being Democrats.

It seems you people don''t really like it when someone points that out do you?

And very rarely do you hear the media talk about it.....No....they would rather talk about Bush....and blame everything on Bush.

Sorry folks....but our President is not a dictator and Congress is actually the ones that should be taking most of the blame. After all....they have been ineffective and unable to get anything done. All they know...is how to be divisive, ineffective and blame GW for everything.

It seems that Congress, with their 8 PERCENT APPROVAL rating does not want to take ANY responsibility for where we are today....and it also seems that the American people too would like to place ALL the blame on Bush and completely let CONGRESS OFF THE HOOK.

You all really need to come across as less ignorant and realize that its actually CONGRESS who needs to take most of the blame.....

Oh and by the way....if you do not recall....76% of congress voted to go to war in Iraq!

God the ignorance of the American people is truly baffling!

[shedhouserob]

You can''t help but think that the 22% that think Georgie was the best president and the 13% that think *** the prick was the best vise president didn''t know which coast Florida was on or who was the first president of the US os A!

[shedhouserob]

You can''t help but like good ol boy Georgie, he''s a likable guy. Then turn your attention to the boss- *** the prick Cheney! who in their right mind would like this self serving corporate person that sold the United States down the tube! If any body deserves to be impeached it''s this low life.

[noloyalisti]

Give lobotomies to that 22%. Quick, it''s the law.

[shedhouserob]

hetup- We Americans didn''t invade Irag- Cheney and Cheney and Cheney with puppet Bush did along with Rummy. If that 22% had a open mine it would be 0 %

[noloyalisti]

It''s hard to believe there are STILL 22 percent that are that mindless and twisted in this country. It''s scary and must be the failure of our public education system.

[bgjdavid]

The biggest reason for Bush''s failure is his complete and passionate attachment to Israel. Most of his advisors were dual citizens of Israel and were overwhelming supporters of the Jewish state including Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, etc. The Israelis have continued its illegal and brutal occupation of the Palestine,confiscating more land during these last 8 years while continuing to build thousands of more illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land while receiving more U.S. military and economic aid than ever befroe. Israel was able to convince Bush for an additional $30 billion in aid during his last year in the presidency, even while this country was in the worse economic condition than ever. Israel was also able to convince George Bush that Iraq was a threat to the U.S. and possessed weapons of mass destruction and this was relayed to Bush by his Jewish advisors. All along, Iraq was not a threat to the U.S. but a possible threat to Israel and what better way of desposing a threat than to have the U.S. use its blood and money to fight its wars.
Israel has caused the U.S. to lose all respect from other nations which were once our friends. George Bush never got tough with Israel and his poor Secretary of State, Condolleezza Rice was just as bad.
The United States, under George Bush, has created the biggest and most arrogant monster in the Middle East.

[quickly101]

Legacy, what legacy? An economy in shambles, a war that never should have been fought, unregulation of wall st led to financiers running rampant, oil speculators gouged the American public for billions, throwing aside the constitution in the name of interrogation. But the most tragic legacy of Bush are the thousands of American lives lost and countless innocent Iraqi dead. Not to mention the thousands of young Americans walking around on artifical legs or using artifical hands or arms. This man will go down as the worst American President of all time. Harding and Grant were good compared to this spoiled Texas millionaire. Thank the good Lord he is gone from the White House.

[dave_p5]

Really? That high?

[liberty4you]

My Bad.

I forgot there a lot of Appalachian Americans that can''t speak American English.

Or for that matter, North American English.

Those Catch 22 percent of Americans who support Goldman Sach''s war on Terror, must keep calling

"Larry King Live" since he''s got all "the interviews everyone is talking about"

-And this includes the false intelligence to invade Iraq?

"Larry, this is Virginia, from Virginia... I love your show Larry... Why don''t you tell me more about something that doesn''t really matter to most Americans?"

"Larry, can you tell me more about CNN"s fabrication of the war, and how they helped sway the American public?" No....

[gonesouthern]

Bush was the "Worst" president this country ever had,period...
All I want to know is what were those 22 outa 100 people thinking when asked if they approved or disapprove of the job this Idiot has done and they said he has done a wonderful job of putting this country in the worst mess since recorded time !!!
That just tells me that 22% of this country does not have a clue as to the damage Bush did in just 8 brief years.
Those 22% must accept blame as well as Bush for what will go down in history as the darkest presidential term ever to date.

[liberty4you]

Listen to this America.

The Main Stream Media (MSM) has a theory about who would do something about the war and economy.

The Democrats were to be said to back the notion that the economy and war could not get any worse.

The Republicans were to be said to believe that it could a lot worse.

Is it going to get a lot worse?

Come on, 22 percent disapproval of the handling of America''s top post. I mean, it is really about 23, 24, or 25 percent in the tank.

Now speaking as a Republican, as they know best, it will get a lot lower.

[ericmiami]

"All hat and no cattle." What a nightmare it has been.

[messiahx4eve]

Less than 22% would reveal that he did, in fact, commit criminal acts. This was explained to me by a very good sociologist that showed me that numbers in these instances show criminal behaviors that are either "Least" or "Most" tolerated by society as a whole. Cheney''s is 13% which I would assume would be criminal do to his attitude towards the people in society as a whole. To both men, words mean NOTHING, actions speak volumes but without attaching the Exeutive Privilege to the political office of the presidency and vice presidency, they WOULD have been tried as criminals and possibly still can, but most people do not want to believe that criminal behavior can be attached to such a prestigeous position. It would be like allowing Jeffery Dalhmer, were he still alive, to host his own cooking show on the food channel or Michael Jackson to host an afterschool children''s show. Probably no one would watch either, but this is how we are hardwired to the federal government setup in our society today.

[lucasnico]

Does legacy even matter? People live, they die, they rot in the ground. You better get yours and do what you want while you can.

Posted by titletrack

Now there''s the attitude that''s going to turn this country around!

[cmc1227]

I can honestly say don''''t blame me, I never ever voted for Bush, but instead for Buchanan and Kerry. Anyone .....Gore, Nader, Buchanan or Kerry would have been far better for the USA. As a nation we''''ve experienced what happens when a corrupt fool is handed the Presidency. Posted by cbsblogger

Buchanan and Gore yes, I voted for Gore, but Kerry and Nader. When Kerry ran I didn''t vote, both Bush and him were wrong. Nader is just plain wrong. When he made the comment about Obama being an Uncle Tom after the election? I think that sealed his fate, we will never see him around again.

[cbsblogger]

I can honestly say don''t blame me, I never ever voted for Bush, but instead for Buchanan and Kerry. Anyone .....Gore, Nader, Buchanan or Kerry would have been far better for the USA. As a nation we''ve experienced what happens when a corrupt fool is handed the Presidency.

[neonink]

So "W" really means worst?

[neonink]

I''m surprised they found 22%.