Positively Nixonian

To say that George Bush's presidency has lost its lustre with the American people would be something of an understatement: The latest poll figures put his popularity rating at 29 percent, the lowest yet and only 5 percent better than Richard Nixon had before he quit the job. The timing, for Republicans, couldn't be worse, since the campaign season for November's mid-term elections has begun. The poll, conducted by The Wall Street Journal, showed that Bush has lost 6 percentage points in a month. Iraq remains the key concern, with 28 percent citing that morass as the main reason for their dissatisfaction.