Nation Again Split on Bush

Two years after a surge of national unity in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the United States is once again a 50-50 nation, shaped by partisan divisions as deep as ever that stand between President Bush and reelection.

Bush begins the campaign year with an overall approval rating of 56 percent, according to the new Post-ABC News poll. That number is good by historical standards and masks sharp differences between Republicans and Democrats. Eighty-seven percent of Republicans approve of how Bush is handling the presidency, while 24 percent of Democrats approve -- a 63-point gap in perceptions. Independents narrowly approve of his performance, splitting 52 to 47 percent.

Bush has lost ground since last year's midterm elections, largely because of perceptions about his handling of Iraq and the economy. Forty-five percent of those surveyed approve of his handling of the economy and 47 percent approve of his handling of Iraq, the first time that number has dipped below 50 percent. Only 40 percent say he "understands the problems of people like you," the lowest in a Post-ABC News poll since Bush began running for president.

The tax cuts that Bush says have powered a strong economic recovery are rarely mentioned by voters -- and easily dismissed when interviewers raise them as a topic. Nadine Polk, a Wheat Ridge, Colo., office worker who has switched from considering herself a Bush supporter because of Iraq, said, "It's hard to see what the tax cuts have done for me. We did get that check [the expanded child tax credit], but it didn't even pay for the increase in our property tax. . . . I don't see any sign that they helped the job situation."

Such comments help explain why the poll found 53 percent disapproval of Bush's record on taxes and 41 percent approval -- the lowest rating on that question of his presidency.