Bush 'most unpopular president in US history'

President George W Bush is the most unpopular president in modern American history, according to a new poll.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp survey showed 71% of Americans disapprove of how Mr Bush is handling his job as president.

No US president has had a higher disapproval rating in any CNN or Gallup Poll and it is the first time such a rating has broken the 70% mark.

Keating Holland, CNN’s polling director, told the news network: “Bush’s approval rating, which stands at 28% in our new poll, remains better than the all-time lows set by Harry Truman and Richard Nixon (22% and 24%, respectively), but even those two presidents never got a disapproval rating in the 70s.

“The previous all-time record in CNN or Gallup polling was set by Truman, 67% disapproval in January 1952.”

In August 1974, just before President Nixon’s resignation, his disapproval rating stood at 66%.

The poll also showed support for the Iraq war has never been lower, with 68% opposing the war and just 30% in favour.

:: The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted by telephone from Monday to Wednesday among 1,008 adult Americans. The poll’s sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.