By KENNETH R. BAZINET
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - One of President Bush's most attractive traits has been his reputation for straight talk, but a new poll yesterday found that fewer than half of Americans think he's honest.
Only 48% of respondents to an AP-Ipsos survey think he's honest, while 50% do not, the poll indicated. That is a five-point drop from January, when 53% of Americans thought Bush was an honest President.
Moreover, some 56% of Americans think he's too cocky, up from the 49% in January who said they view Bush's confidence as arrogance.
A solid majority still see Bush as likable and a strong leader, but Bush's overall job approval was at 42%, with 55% disapproving.
"Clearly his credibility on things like Iraq is playing a role in how honest people think he's being," said AP-Ipsos pollster Michael Gross.
Bush launched the invasion claiming that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons. Both claims have since been determined to have been wrong.
Since then, Iraq has been difficult to pacify and American casualties have soared past 1,800.
"Bush has deceived the American people and they are not happy with it," said Baruch College political commentator Doug Muzzio. "He's going to start getting toxic soon."
Bush's poll numbers have been in a tailspin for months, and his sinking support this summer may mean trouble for the Republicans at the polls next year if the numbers don't turn around.
"Moving into the midterm elections, it's not looking good for politicians of any stripe," Gross said. "It's a 'throw the bums out' mentality."
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - One of President Bush's most attractive traits has been his reputation for straight talk, but a new poll yesterday found that fewer than half of Americans think he's honest.
Only 48% of respondents to an AP-Ipsos survey think he's honest, while 50% do not, the poll indicated. That is a five-point drop from January, when 53% of Americans thought Bush was an honest President.
Moreover, some 56% of Americans think he's too cocky, up from the 49% in January who said they view Bush's confidence as arrogance.
A solid majority still see Bush as likable and a strong leader, but Bush's overall job approval was at 42%, with 55% disapproving.
"Clearly his credibility on things like Iraq is playing a role in how honest people think he's being," said AP-Ipsos pollster Michael Gross.
Bush launched the invasion claiming that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons. Both claims have since been determined to have been wrong.
Since then, Iraq has been difficult to pacify and American casualties have soared past 1,800.
"Bush has deceived the American people and they are not happy with it," said Baruch College political commentator Doug Muzzio. "He's going to start getting toxic soon."
Bush's poll numbers have been in a tailspin for months, and his sinking support this summer may mean trouble for the Republicans at the polls next year if the numbers don't turn around.
"Moving into the midterm elections, it's not looking good for politicians of any stripe," Gross said. "It's a 'throw the bums out' mentality."
