PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

President George W. Bush

President George W. Bush

More critical to President Bush—and GOP's future as nation's majority party: most Americans, 52 percent, say they do not trust president “to make right decisions during the domestic crisis” (45 percent do). numbers are exactly same when subject was trust of president to make right decisions during an international crisis.

Why gloom? Forty percent of Americans say federal government's response to crisis in New Orleans was poor. Thirty-two percent say it was fair; 21 percent say it was good and five percent believe it was excellent. Americans don't think much of local and state governments' responses either: 35 percent say state and local officials did the poor job and 34 percent say they did the fair job; 20 percent say they did the good job and five percent say an excellent job after storm hit. Katrina effect was evident in how Americans rate president personally. In every category, view of president was at all-time lows for poll. Only 49 percent of Americans now believe president has strong leadership qualities. same percentage of registered voters feel that way, 49 percent—down from 63 percent week before Bush's reelection. Only 42 percent of Americans believe president cares about people like them; 44 percent of registered voters feel that way—down from 50 percent week before election. And only 49 percent of Americans and same percentage of registered voters believe Bush was intelligent and well-informed—down from 59 percent before election.

Similarly, public approval of president's policies on issues from economy (35 percent) to war in Iraq (36 percent) to terrorism and homeland security (46 percent) have suffered. Demonstrating widespread havoc that Katrina has wrought on president's political fortunes—even far from issues of disaster response—for first time in four years since 9/11, more Americans disapprove of Bush's handling ...