Bush hopes for lift from upbeat reports

Sat Dec 3, 2005 5:40 PM ET

By Caren Bohan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush, trying to lift his sagging approval ratings, has launched a push to take credit for recent positive economic news the public has largely shrugged off.

In one example of the pessimism, an ABC/Washington Post poll taken in the month ended November 13 showed 64 percent of Americans described the economy as poor or not so good, with only 36 percent judging it to be good or excellent.

That dovetails with November 17-20 Gallup poll that found just 36 percent of Americans thought the economy was getting better while 58 percent saw it as getting worse.