Bush approval at lowest level of his presidency

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Cartoons

The week in political cartoons

Jack Reed's Sherman statement

McCain: 16 months a 'good timetable'

Gration and the Landstuhl controversy

Iraq versus domestic concerns
After Katrina, 75 percent now believe the United States is not adequately prepared for a nuclear, biological or chemical attack. That’s an increase since June 2002, nine months after Sept. 11, when 66 percent believed this.

When asked to choose between rebuilding Iraq and establishing a democratic government there or rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, 60 percent of respondents said New Orleans is the greater priority, while just 5 percent mentioned Iraq. Thirty-four percent said both are equally important.

On a somewhat similar note, 45 percent believe that reducing spending on the Iraq war is one or two actions that should be taken to pay for the Katrina relief efforts. That’s followed by 27 percent who want to repeal tax cuts, 12 percent who want to cut federal spending in other areas (such as education), 8 percent who want to increase the deficit and 7 percent who want to raise income taxes.

Overall, both pollsters — the Democrat Hart and the Republican McInturff — say this survey doesn’t provide much good news for the Bush White House. But McInturff argues that it’s premature to close the book on Bush’s second term, pointing out that Bill Clinton was able to bounce back after the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and that Ronald Reagan was able to do the same after Iran-Contra.

“Three years is a long, long time,” McInturff said. “Given what’s happened in this year alone, who knows what will happen in the next three years.”

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Mark Murray covers politics for NBC News.

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