Footnote to the preceding

A new poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press indicates that the public's opinion of Bush's handling of Iraq has slipped to a new low - and so has his overall job rating. Just 40% approve of how the Bush team is dealing in Iraq, down from 60% in mid-January. Moreover, by a sizable margin, the public

believes the administration does not have a plan to bring the conflict to a successful conclusion. The number of Americans calling for the troops to come home is rising, with just a bare majority now favoring keeping US troops in the region

until there is a stable government. That figure is down from 63% three months ago.

Meanwhile, Shrub's overall positive-negative approval rating is 43%-47%, the lowest of his presidency. He got the approval of 56% in the mid-January poll.