From Holden:
Let’s start with the latest Pew Poll.
The strong focus on news from abroad is having little impact on the public’s political opinions. President Bush’s job approval rating stands at 37%, virtually unchanged from July. His personal image continues to be far less positive than it was about a year ago about half the public says he is not a strong leader, not trustworthy, and unable to get things done. Moreover, the renewed emphasis on terrorism has done little to boost the president’s standing on that issue. The survey, which was largely conducted after the Aug. 10 revelations of the terror plot against airliners, shows that 50% approve of the president’s handling of terrorist threats, little changed from June (47%).
The severity of the president’s image problem is reflected in the fact that while many Americans (49%) feel the level of U.S. involvement in resolving the Lebanon crisis has been appropriate, far fewer (36%) say they approve of Bush’s handling of the issue.
And then there’s this from Rasmussen.
Last week’s news from London about a thwarted terrorist attack had little impact on public confidence in the War on Terror. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of American adults now say the U.S. and its allies are winning. That’s down a point from 39% earlier in August and down from 44% in July. Confidence that the U.S. and its allies are winning has never been lower than 38%.
Thirty percent (30%) of Americans now believe the terrorists are winning. That’s down from 33% earlier in the month but up from 26% in July.