Time for a change of Color?

Associated Press/Ipsos

Poll: Bush Job Approval Dips to New Low

WASHINGTON - As the war in Iraq drags on, President Bush's job approval and the public's confidence in the direction he's taking the nation are at their lowest levels since The Associated Press-Ipsos poll began in December 2003.

About one-third of adults, 35 percent, said they think the country is headed in the right direction, while 43 percent said they approve of the job being done by Bush. Just 41 percent say they support his handling of the war, also a low-water mark.

...

California retiree Carol Harvie was quick to mention Iraq when asked about how Bush was doing his job.

"I don't think he's read his history enough about different countries and foreign affairs," said Harvie, a political independent who lives near San Diego, a region with several military bases. "Anything they try to do in Iraq has spelled trouble. I think he bit off more than he can chew."

...

Support for Bush's handling of domestic issues remained in the high 30s and low 40s in the latest AP-Ipsos poll. Thirty-seven percent support Bush's handling of Social Security, while 59 percent disapprove. Those numbers haven't budged after more than four months of the president traveling the country to sell his plan to create private accounts in Social Security.

Support for his handling of the economy was at 43 percent.

The math, cribbed a wee bit, from Armando for both the half-full and half-empty crowds:

45% - Support Bush foreign policy
35% - Think the country is going in the right direction
37% - Approve of his handling of Social Security
43% - Support his handing of the economy

41% - Approve overall

55% - Don't support his foreign policy
65% - Think the country is going in the wrong direction
59% - Don't approve of his handling of Social Security
57% - Don't support his handling of economy

59% - Disapprove overall

That sucks. Congress is even lower with a 64 percent disapprove. The trend is southbound and has been since late November. The flurries of items like Schiavo, Nooklear Options and such would indicate that Republican internal polls show popping rivets in the hull. The goofball narrow-focus agenda of feeding tubes and "judicial activism" is pure double-welding the base, as is the large-scale Social Security reform cavalcade (I don't recall private accounts and carve outs being discussed during the election, do you? Voila, 59% disapproval above.)

Yeah. I was getting bored with yellow. Been that way since inauguration-ish and suddenly stopped being wheeled out after accusations of promiscuous use for news and poll management. Is correlation causality? We're gonna find out shortly, eh? Am I being cynical? Hey, it's unhealthy not to be, especially around these guys. (Gawd I would not want their track record for forecasting and pattern interpretation.) As for correlation, I recall something about "a preponderance of evidence" thoughtfully footnoted, sourced and graphed here.