Bush job rating hits record low in NBC/WSJ poll

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) President George W Bush's approval rating has dropped to 29 per cent in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, his lowest mark ever in that survey, which also found only 23 per cent approved of the job Congress was doing.

Bush's approval rating slid 6 points from 35 per cent in April, NBC said yesterday, citing a decline in support within his own Republican Party. Sixty-six per cent said they disapproved of Bush's job performance.

In the poll, 62 per cent of Republicans approved of Bush's job performance, down from 75 per cent in April. Thirty-two per cent of Republicans in the latest poll disapproved of Bush's performance, up from 21 per cent in April.

NBC tied the drop in Republican support to Bush's efforts to promote an immigration reform measure that many conservative Republicans oppose. Polls have also shown a decline in Bush's popularity due to the war in Iraq.

The latest poll also found Americans growing more discontented with the Democratic-led Congress, with 64 per cent disapproving of Congress' job performance. Only 23 per cent approved, down 8 points since April.

Sixty-eight per cent believe the United States is on the wrong track. Only 19 per cent believe the country is headed in the right direction -- the lowest number in nearly 15 years, NBC said.

The poll of 1,008 adults conducted from Friday to Monday had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

Reuters DKS VP0715