The Dow Jones Industrial Average is not the only thing looking like a punctured balloon. The air may be hissing out of George Bush's poll ratings, too. Zogby International, a polling firm, says that only 62% of those it asked now think his performance "positive", the lowest figure since September nth. To be fair, another poll, for the Washington Post, shows his approval rating almost unchanged at 72%. But the omens are not good. Thomas Riehle, the president of another polling outfit, Ipsos-Reid, points out that the number of Americans saying things are on the wrong track outnumber, for the first time this year, those who think things are going the right way. Fewer than half say they would re-elect Mr Bush if a presidential election were held today. The revelations about the president's involvement in unsavoury business practices a decade ago have aggravated this vulnerability. The most commonly mentioned name is Harken Energy, a Texan firm where Mr Bush was a director.
展开▼
