Bush, Congress, Iraq Still Unpopular

Two new opinion polls show deepening public dissatisfaction with U.S. politicians. According to a Reuters/Zogby poll, "The number of Americans who believe the country is on the wrong track jumped four points to 66 percent. Bush's job approval rating fell to 24 percent from last month's record low for a Zogby poll of 29 percent. A paltry 11 percent gave Congress a positive grade, tying last month's record low." According to Zogby, voter attitudes are hardening into a "throw the bums out" mindset that could present problems for Democrats and Republicans alike in next year's elections. Meanwhile, a new Gallup poll finds that most Americans think the situation in Iraq is getting worse, and 60% now think it was a mistake to invade: "This is within 2 percentage points of being the highest on record; 62% of Americans said the war was a mistake in July 2007." Gallup's tracking finds Bush's approval rating slightly higher than the Zogby result at 32%, but still near his all-time low.