A new poll from Zogby International reveals just how poorly Americans view key figures in the Bush Administration, with one exception: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Rice received a 53% approval rating in the Zogby poll, released Wednesday. No one else in the administration included in the poll came close. President Bush stands at 38%; Vice President Cheney at 33%; and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has a 35% approval rating.
Perhaps a sign of her support among the general public and within the administration, Bush on Wednesday gave Rice greater control of the planning and reconstruction efforts in Iraq. Bush made the announcement in his latest speech Wednesday about Iraq.
Pollster John Zogby found only two bright prospects for Republicans: Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) has a favorability rating of 75% and Rice remains popular despite growing disapproval for the war in Iraq.
Looking ahead to the 2008 Republican presidential primary, Zogby’s poll shows McCain beating former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Rice in a potential GOP race. In a match-up with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D.-N.Y.), McCain wins easily, 52% to 37%, with 11% unsure or favoring someone else.
The poll was based on 1,013 interviews nationwide and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
