Bush approval ratings slip into minus range

WASHINGTON - Six months before the November election, President Bush has slipped into a politically fragile position that has put his re-election at risk, with the public clearly disaffected by his handling of the two biggest issues facing the country, Iraq and the economy.

Bush continues to run a close race against Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in national polls, and his re-election committee has spent prodigiously to put Kerry on the defensive. And his fundraising effort has hit the $200-million mark, doubling his 2000 record in less than a year, donations through April posted on the campaign's Web site show.

But other indicators - presidential approval being the most significant - suggest Bush is weaker now than at any point in his presidency. Bush's approval rating in the Gallup poll fell to 46 percent this week - the lowest in his presidency by that organization's measures. Fifty-one percent said they disapprove - the first time in his presidency that a bare majority registered disapproval of the way Bush is doing his job. A Pew Research Center survey released Wednesday pegged Bush's approval at 44 percent, with 48 percent disapproving.

By way of contrast, former presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, who were re-elected easily, had approval ratings in the mid 50s at this point in their re-election campaigns and remained at or above those levels into November. But Bush's father, former President George Bush, and former President Jimmy Carter had fallen to about 40 percent in their approval ratings at this point in their races, and after continuing to fall even further, lost their re-election bids. Bush roughly mirrors the standing of former President Gerald R. Ford in mid-1976; Ford lost his campaign for a second term.

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kerry has spent this week campaigning relentlessly on the problems in the nation's health care system and maintaining that President Bush has failed to address them.

The Bush campaign has countered furiously, saying Kerry's proposals are far too expensive and would inevitably lead to government micromanagement of private health care.

This is not just another exercise in partisan maneuvering. Nowhere are the policy differences between Kerry and Bush more apparent, health analysts say, than on what to do about rising health costs and the growing number of Americans without insurance.

Few dispute the extent of the problem. After several years of stability in the mid 1990s, the cost of coverage is soaring again, with premiums up an average of 13.9 percent last year, the third consecutive year of double-digit increases. More and more small businesses say they are staggering under the strain.

The number of Americans without insurance, meanwhile, has jumped to 43.6-million, according to a census report, and more than a fifth are children.

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. - President Bush sought Thursday to answer the criticism from his Democratic rival for the White House that his administration has failed to devote enough money and ingenuity to improving public education, visiting a high school here that the president said is a model of how to elevate secondary school standards.

Bush's remarks in this community near the Ohio line marked the third consecutive day that he has promoted his education policies after the release last week of a plan by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to lower the dropout rate, increase federal funding for school improvements and help an additional 1-million students graduate from high school in the next five years.

The president did not issue any fresh policy proposals, but he said federal spending on education has risen 49 percent during his tenure, even though schools are primarily funded by states and municipalities. Bush gave a rundown of the strategies he favors, including intervention programs for teenagers who are poor readers, increased access to advanced courses that carry college credit and improvements in math and science curricula.

In his customary manner, Bush linked education to the economy. "See, if you can't read, these jobs of the 21st century are going to go begging," he said.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Thursday he offers more to military veterans than "wrapping yourself in the flag," pledging to mandate funding for veterans health care in response to what he said were broken promises by President Bush.

Kerry said that while Bush talks tough about patriotism and honor, he shortchanges veterans by cutting their programs. Concluding a four-day campaign focus on health care, the Massachusetts senator proposed a series of cost-cutting measures to assist veterans and their families.

"I will see to it that the first definition of patriotism is not talking about it, not wrapping yourself in the flag," he said. "It is keeping faith with those who have worn the uniform."

Kerry said Bush is quick to send soldiers in harm's way but slow to offer them help when they return.

"Here we are with an administration that is busy creating a whole new generation of veterans," he said. "They don't seem to understand that today's soldiers are tomorrow's veterans."

WASHINGTON - Black lawmakers from key battleground states told John Kerry's top aides Thursday that he must follow Bill Clinton's lead and give blacks a reason to vote for him rather than just against President Bush.

Participants in the 90-minute strategy session said it was designed to hammer out some specifics stemming from the Democratic presidential candidate's commitment two months ago to regularly seek advice from the Congressional Black Caucus.

"Basically what we were saying is you've got to get a message out so African-American people will feel you and feel that you're comfortable with them," said caucus chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md. "As the momentum is shifting, it's not enough that it's just away from Bush. We've got to make sure at the same time we're picking up momentum and people are saying, "I want Kerry.' "

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