7-27-07, 10:00 am

Bush leads race for most unpopular US president in modern history


With 18 months left in office, President George W Bush is in the running for most unpopular president in the history of modern polling. The latest Washington Post-ABC shows that 65% of United States citizens disapprove of Bush's job performance, matching his all-time low.

In polls conducted by Gallup going back to 1938, only once has a president exceeded that level of public animosity -- and that was Richard M Nixon, who hit 66% four days before he resigned in 1974.

Some of the highest presidential disapproval rates in the last decades:

Harry Truman, 1945/1953, soared to 65% in February 1952 mainly because of the Korean peninsula war.

Nixon, 1969/1974, recorded 66% disapproval in August 1974, a few days before his resignation as a consequence of the Watergate scandal involving political espionage and other illegal activities promoted from the White House.

George H.W. Bush, 1989/1993 and father of the current Bush roared to 64% disapproval in August 1992, just three months before his reelection bid.

Jimmy Carter, 1977/1981 according to Gallup in July 1979 reached a record high of 59% because of increasing inflation rates.

Ronald Reagan, 1981/1988 also had a significant disapproval rate in January 1983 when preparing his state of the union speech which would pull the US out of recession.

Other record situations from Gallup include Lyndon Johnson 1963/1969 with 52% disapproval in August 1968, a few months before crushed by the Vietnam war he announced he would not seek reelection.

Bill Clinton, 1993/2001 on three occasions crossed the 50% disapproval threshold: in August 1993, when considering a national health system; October 1994 a few days before the Republican recovered control of the House of Representatives and in January 1995, when he was publicly accused and demanded of sexual harassment by a lady.

From MercoPress