Only the cultists are left

The Presidnt's day Zogby poll shows that Bush's approval rating has stabilized at 40% leaving only the cultists. The erosion of what had been his base was striking.

Among both conservatives and those who consider themselves very conservative, 61% approve of the job he is doing. He gets only 32% of independents, and only 73% among Republicans – his lowest rating yet. Even rural voters give him just 50% approval, and 59% among those who say they are born again spiritually – marking the lowest ratings from both of these demographic groups. And Bush remains low among men, married voters and investors.

Iraq continues to be a thorn in his side.

As for Iraq, his approval/ disapproval rating stands at 37%-63%; just 12% of Democrats approve of his handling of the war, compared to 88% who disapprove, which are percentages similar to our last poll. Among independents, 26% approve of his war leadership, while 74% do not, which is down slightly from our last survey. Only 68% of Republicans support his handling of the war.

And Bush's approval for his previous strength, fighting the "war on terror" is down significantly.

On his management of the war on terror, Bush wins 43% approval, down from 67% at the time of his re-election almost 16 months ago.

These numbers have to give Republican lawmakers something to think about. We may see Bush cultists and rubber stamp, Pat Roberts, forced to investigate the illegal NSA spying and calls in congress for a relatively rapid disengagement from Iraq.