Poll: 22 percent want Bush setting policy

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NEW YORK, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Only 22 percent of U.S. citizens in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll published Tuesday think President George Bush should set national policy.

The nationwide telephone poll of 1,007 adults was conducted during the three days before Bush's annual State of the Union address Tuesday nights. It showed 57 percent want Congress rather than the White House to set policy for the country.

Other negatives for Bush include that 27 percent have confidence in his objectives and 28 percent approve of his handling of the Iraq war, the Journal reported.

While Bush has repeatedly refused to issue any timetable for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, a 65 percent majority wants U.S. troops to leave within the next year.

Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who helped conduct the poll said it's obvious Bush faces "an extremely skeptical audience," while his Republican counterpart, Bill McInturff acknowledged the results suggest "little capacity for movement on his major policy initiatives, especially Iraq."