Bush's approval rating plunges further in N.C.

Fewer North Carolinians than ever approve of how President Bush is doing his job, including his handling of the economy and the Iraq war, according to a new poll from Elon University.

The independent poll, released in part Friday, covered 476 adults across the state. Of them, only 36 percent expressed approval or strong approval of the president. Sixty-one percent said they disapprove or strongly disapprove.

That's the worst showing for Bush in the history of the poll, dipping below his previous worst of 41 percent approval in October 2005.

Hunter Bacot, director of the Elon poll said the number surprised him because of North Carolina's large military presence. He said the Democratic takeover of Congress last year has provided a contrast.

"People are saying, `There are choices here, and we don't like what we've been offered and we want to try something else,' " Bacot said.

Even worse for Bush: Opposition to him and his policies was above 50 percent for every question in the poll.

* Just over 50 percent said the Iraq war has made America less safe.

* Sixty-five percent opposed Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

* Sixty percent supported a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq.

"The war, right now, is just a thorn in the administration's side," Bacot said.

The poll has a margin of error of 4.6 percent.