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Seeking a cure for the hurricane hangover

With the president’s poll ratings lower than ever and his political capital depleted, his second-term priorities are in peril

"...A number of polls have shown Mr Bush’s level of support at the lowest of his presidency; on Thursday, the New York Times put those who think he is doing a good job at just 41%, against 53% who don’t. And the hurricane has hit him in specific ways, with the Thursday poll and others giving him lower marks than before on his traditional strong suits, such as tough leadership and ability to handle a crisis. Perhaps surprisingly, only half of those polled by the New York Times thought he had handled the hurricane badly (though nearly three-quarters of blacks do, which is unsurprising given the flood’s heavy impact on New Orleans’s blacks). The storm nonetheless seems to have pushed down Mr Bush’s ratings across the board."