Bush's Eroding Base

The Wash Times highlights the finding from a recent Pew Research Center poll that "Only half see press as fair to Bush." But even the Times acknowledges, "Although the public may be increasingly leery of White House coverage, Americans still prefer their press in a watchdog role. The survey also found that six out of 10 think press criticism of political leaders helps keep them on track."

Meanwhile at the actual Pew Research site, the big news is about Bush's dismal second-term approval ratings, which the group says reflects "Bush's eroding base."

Bush's current 36% job approval rating is the lowest of his presidency, down from 40% in late October and 50% at the start of the year. This decline reflects a souring of opinion among independents [with] just 29% approv[ing] of the president's job performance today, compared with 47% at the start of the year….

However, Bush is also now facing a significant loss of support within his own party–particularly among moderate Republicans. Overall, the proportion of Republicans who approve of Bush's job in office has dropped from 89% just after the 2004 election to 77% today.

The (coff, coff) silver lining?

One year after their respective reelection victories, Bush's job approval is nine points higher than former President Richard M. Nixon's approval mark in early November 1973 (36% vs. 27%). For Nixon, this came amid the continuing Watergate scandal and shortly after the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew in October.

More here.

Possibly the greatest political ad of all time–a 1968 attack ad mocking Agnew–here.