Newsweek Poll Shows SOTU Did Nothing For Bush, GOP

I don’t usually get into polls this far out from an election, but I find this Newsweek poll intriguing. To sum things up –

Bush’s overall approval rating: 30% (this number becomes important later)

People who “wish the Bush presidency were simply over”:
Democrats – 86%
Independents – 59%
Republicans – 21%

49% of all registered voters would rather see a Democrat elected president in 2008, compared to just 28 percent who’d prefer the GOP to remain in the White House.

64% of Americans say Congress was not assertive enough in challenging Bush on the war.

31% of Republicans say that their party didn’t do enough to challenge the administration on the war.

48% of registered voters say their opinion of Bush will be at least “somewhat important” in determining who gets their vote in ’08.

71% of Americans view Bush as an ineffectual “lame duck”

53% say that history will view Bush as a below-average president

22% believe that Bush’s decisions about “Iraq and other major policy” are influenced primarily by facts

67% say Bush’s decisions are influenced primarily by his personal beliefs.

61% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in America