Washington Post-ABC News polling indicates that the Republican president's 31 percent approval rating is the lowest of his career.

The Washington Post (NYSE:WPO) reported Monday that its newest poll represents the 38th consecutive month Bush's approval rating has been below 50 percent.

The newspaper said Americans' feelings about the direction of the country have been falling as well, with 82 percent thinking that things in the United States are on the wrong track.

The last time more than half of Americans had a positive impression of the country's direction was in late April 2003, a month into the war in Iraq.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said it is not a surprise that Americans believe the country is heading on the wrong track, with gas prices climbing and the economy slowing.

"High gas prices have a really negative effect on the psychology of the country, as well as on the economy," she told reporters. "It's like a drag on the economy and a tax on the working people."