Bush's presidency middling, polls show

PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Extremes in U.S. opinions about President George Bush landed his average approval rating in the middle of post-World War II presidents, Gallup indicated.

Bush's ratings ranged from a 90 percent approval rating following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to his sub-30 percent approval ratings as the U.S. economy tanked and the war in Iraq dragged on. Because of the highs and lows, Bush's 49 percent approval rating for his entire presidency ranks him seventh of 11 post-WWII presidents, poll results released Monday indicated.

Bush's average-to-date of 49.4 percent is similar to President Richard Nixon's 49.1 percent, but slightly better than Harry Truman's and Jimmy Carter's historical lows below 46 percent, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

John Kennedy's 70.1 percent average for his two-and-a-half year term was the highest approval rating, Gallup said. Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, averaged 60.1 percent during his term as president.

Gallup Poll results are based on telephone interviews conducted at various times between 2001 and 2008. For results based on each separate sample of national adults, the margin of error is 3 percentage points.