CBS/New York Times polls frequently show the lowest levels of support for President Bush among major firms, so it's hard to know how much weight to put on their latest survey, which shows him at 34 percent approval -- his lowest ever.
Still, it seems clear that the President is taking serious damage on the Dubai ports deal and will be forced to cave soon:
Americans are strongly opposed to the Bush administration's agreement to allow a Dubai company to operate terminals at six American ports and are increasingly negative about the situation in Iraq, according to the latest CBS News poll.
Seventy percent, including 58 percent of Republicans, said Dubai Ports World, a company controlled by the emir of Dubai, should not be permitted to operate at United States ports, while 21 percent supported the arrangement.
In addition, 62 percent of those polled said the efforts to bring stability and order to Iraq were going badly, up from 54 percent last month.
The port agreement and the pessimism on Iraq appear to be significant factors in driving Mr. Bush's approval ratings back down to the lowest levels of his presidency. In the poll, 34 percent approved of how he is handling his job, down eight points from a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in January.
Mr. Bush's latest job performance rating is the lowest measured for him in a poll conducted by The Times or CBS News, though virtually indistinguishable from the 35 percent job approval in a CBS poll last October.
The long-term trend in Bush's job approval looks grim for Republicans:
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