Poll: Bush, Congress unpopular

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush and Congress remain very unpopular with most Americans, a poll indicates.

A new Harris Poll of 1,015 adults shows Bush has an approval rating of just 25 percent positive and 74 percent negative. His approval rating has hovered around 25 percent since June.

Federal lawmakers have even more lackluster approval ratings. Just 19 percent of respondents said they give Congress a favorable rating, compared to 77 percent of people who said they disapprove of their job.

The congressional approval rating has inched upwards since June, when just 13 percent of respondents gave them positive marks and 83 percent negative ones.

Judging the Republican and Democratic parties, 22 percent of respondents gave Democrats and Republicans positive marks, while almost three quarters give them negative marks.

In its analysis, Harris said the low Washington approval numbers could be a boon to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois who is up against Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

"Barack Obama may have a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on the dismal ratings of the Bush administration, but that depends on whether both he and John McCain can distance themselves from their respective unpopular counterparts," the analysis said.

The poll was conducted between August 6 and Aug. 10. Its margin of error was not reported.