Gallup: Obama dips below 40 percent

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's approval rating has sunk below 40 percent for the first time, Gallup's tracking poll indicates.

The poll shows 39 percent of Americans approve of the president's job performance, versus 54 percent who disapprove, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

The Times said Obama's job approval rating has hovered in the 40 percent range for much of the year. It peaked at 53 percent in the weeks following the successful raid that got Osama bin Laden.

The rolling poll of 1,500 adults was conducted Aug. 11-13, Gallup said. The margin of error was 3 percentage points.