Washington, July 09: The American people are increasingly disenchanted with President George W Bush's effort in turning around the economy and solving the nation's health care woes, while daily violence in Iraq also weighs heavily on the public, says a new poll. But that discontent isn't translating into a boost for any of his democratic rivals.

Bush's approval ratings stood at 60 per cent in the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & The Press, a significant drop from his 74 per cent rating on April 9, the day the statue of Saddam Hussein fell in Baghdad and US commanders said the Iraqi ruler was no longer in power. With continuing violence in Iraq since Bush announced an end to major combat, the number of Americans saying the military effort in Iraq is going very well fell to 23 per cent from 61 per cent in mid-April, according to the poll released yesterday.

Still, two-thirds of those surveyed said the US made the right decision to use military force against Iraq, and most Republicans and Democrats support the effort to rebuild the country. But the poll of 1,201 adults conducted June 19-July 2 found growing criticism of Bush's handling of key domestic issues.

Bush has pushed strongly for a medicare prescription drug benefit as the republican-controlled Congress has moved toward passage of legislation. Yet 72 per cent of those polled said Bush is not making a strong enough effort to deal with health care problems. Even a majority of Republicans - 52 per cent - said the President could do more.

Bureau Report