October 8, 2005
BY WILL LESTER
Chicago Sun-Times

WASHINGTON -- Evangelicals, Republican women, Southerners and other critical groups in President Bush's political coalition are worried about the direction the nation is headed and disappointed with his performance, an AP-Ipsos poll found.

The growing unease could be a troubling sign for a White House struggling to keep the Republican Party base from slipping over Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, Gulf Coast spending projects, immigration and other issues.

''Politically, this is very serious for the president,'' said James Thurber, a political scientist at American University.

Only 28 percent say the country is headed in the right direction, while 66 percent say it is on the wrong track, the poll found. Those most likely to have lost confidence include white evangelicals, down 30 percentage points since November, Republican women, down 28 points, Southerners, down 26 points, and suburban men, down 20 points. Read the article at http://tinyurl.com/7j78l


© Virginia Metze