WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A new poll shows declining approval ratings for President Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina.
The latest Rasmussen Reports survey says 35 percent of Americans now say President Bush has done a good or excellent job responding to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, down from 39 percent before his speech from New Orleans Thursday.
Forty-one percent give the president poor marks for handling the crisis, up from 37 percent before the speech.
Fifty percent of Americans favor Bush's proposal to spend $200 billion to help rebuild New Orleans. Twenty-seven percent are opposed and 23 percent are not sure.
The spending plan has not been well received by conservative voters -- just 43 percent favor the federal commitment. The plan is favored by 66 percent of liberal voters, although only 10 percent of those voters give Bush a good or an excellent rating for handling the crisis.
Following the speech, the President's approval rating for handling the Katrina crisis fell eight points among Republicans to 63 percent.
