MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bush still strong with base supporters

United States President George W. Bush's standing with a US public anxious about Iraq and the nation's direction is lower than that of the last two men who won re-election to the White House ? Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton ? at this point in their second terms.

But solid backing from his base supporters has kept Bush from sinking to the depths reached by former presidents Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Bush's father.

Truman decided not to run for re-election. Nixon resigned. Carter and the first George Bush were defeated in re-election campaigns.

Bush's job approval percentage in recent polls ranges from the low- to mid-40s. Reagan was at 57% at this stage of his presidency and Clinton was at 61%, according to Gallup polling at the time.

Charles Black, a veteran Republican strategist and close Bush ally, said Republicans are sticking with Bush for two reasons: personal affection and loyalty. ??I haven't seen anything like it since Reagan'' he said. ??Bush follows through on issues that are largely popular with the base, even when it's not popular with the general public to do so''.

Truman's approval dipped to 24% in the late spring of 1951 after he removed popular General Douglas MacArthur from command in Korea.

Nixon's approval dropped to 31% in August 1973 as the war dragged on in Vietnam and revelations of administration misdeeds kept spilling out of the Senate Watergate hearings.

Carter's approval plunged to 29% in the early summer of 1979 amid economic troubles and news of increasing problems with new Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

The first Bush's approval sank to 32% in July 1992 as his presidential rivals Clinton and Ross Perot gained momentum in the campaign and the jobless rate rose.