Bush blamed for current economic woes

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- More Americans still blame former President George W. Bush than President Barack Obama for the nation's current economic problems, a poll found Wednesday.

The Rasmussen Reports telephone survey found 52 percent of likely voters trace U.S. economic woes today to the recession that began under the Bush administration while 41 percent attribute them to Obama's policies since 2008.

However, 61 percent of respondents put more stock in their own judgment than Obama's on economic issues. Only 24 percent said they trust the president more, and 16 percent were unsure.

Obama gets blame from 74 percent of Republicans, while 86 percent of Democrats point to Bush. Independents blame Bush by a 55-35 percent margin.

The survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted on Feb. 18-19 and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.