To My Surprise, Bush's Approval Drops Again

I was uncertain how the public would respond to Bush's speech Monday night on immigration. It appeared to me, at the time, that it may help his approval some with conservatives and Republicans with the suggestion of sending 6,000 National Guard troops to the border. But, as I had also mentioned, I wasn't quite certain if by he saying it wouldn't be wise to send the illegal immigrants south of the border, that it would negate what he said about sending the troops down. Overall, though, I felt that his approval ratings might hold steady or even climb 1-2 percentage points.

If the first poll released after the speech is any indication, I was wrong. In the latest poll by ABC News/Washington Post, Bush's approval rating has fallen to 33%, tying him for the lowest presidential approval rating ever recorded by ABC News/Washington Post in their 25 years of conducting polls.

Oddly enough, Bush's highest approval ratings within the poll deal with terrorism and privacy rights. 53% approve of how he's dealing with terrorism and 52% approve of him when it comes to privacy rights. With all the talk, articles, and controversy surrounding NSA, I'm rather surprised at such a high approval rating for Bush here. Bush's two lowest percentages? The deficit, where only 27% of the population approve and gas prices, where only 20% approve.

Link:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/PollVault/story?id=1968029