58% in poll: Bush misled U.S.

A majority of U.S. adults say President Bush deliberately misled the public about progress in Iraq, and opposition to the war matches an all-time high, according to a poll conducted for CNN.

The poll, released Tuesday, coincided with publication of the book "State of Denial" by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, which says Bush ignored warnings from military officials about the growing Iraq insurgency and made claims of success that conflicted with intelligence assessments.

In the Sept. 29-Oct. 2 poll, 58 percent said the administration misled the public about how the war is going. In addition, 57 percent said the conflict has made the U.S. less safe from terrorism, indicating Bush's central argument in defense of his policy isn't gaining traction with voters.

"The decisions that I have made have made this country safer," the president said Tuesday during an appearance at a political fund-raiser in Stockton, Calif. Democrats counter the Iraq conflict has distracted efforts to hunt down terrorists and — bolstered by a recently declassified intelligence report — that the war is fueling Muslim extremism.

Sixty-one percent said they oppose the war, up from 58 percent at the beginning of September. It matches the high mark for opposition hit in mid-August, following a spike of insurgent and sectarian violence in Iraq. Sixty-six percent said they disapprove of the way Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, up from 62 percent at the beginning of August.

Bush is in the middle of a three-day trip through Nevada, California, Arizona and Colorado to campaign for Republican congressional candidates. His party is trying to maintain its majorities in the House and Senate in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, and the poll indicates potential trouble for Republicans.

Fifty-three percent of likely voters surveyed said they will cast their ballot for the Democratic candidate, while 42 percent will support the Republican candidate.

The survey showed Bush's job-approval rating declined to 39 percent from 42 percent a week earlier. Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed said they disapprove of Bush's handling his job as president.

The telephone survey of 1,014 adults by Opinion Research Corporation has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Bush also lost support in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll as fewer Americans believe the war in Iraq will reduce terrorism while the Republican party copes with a sex scandal involving Representative Mark Foley.

Bush's approval rating fell to 39 percent from 42 percent earlier this month, while 46 percent polled said the Iraq war hurt the war on terror, up from 32 percent earlier this month, according to the Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.