In the Newsweek poll, 50 per cent of registered voters who were queried said they do not want to see Bush re-elected, while 44 per cent said they do. The survey of 1,002 adults interviewed Thursday and Friday has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.

The president’s overall approval rating in the survey was 52 per cent - the same it has been in previous polls by the magazine during the past two months. But in the wake of more deaths of US soldiers in Iraq and the rising price tag for occupation and reconstruction, 51
per cent of the respondents said they disapprove of Bush’s handling of Iraq - the highest Newsweek’s polls have ever shown - while 42 per cent said they approve.

The survey suggests mixed feelings on the president’s economic policies, following positive news this week. Forty-four per cent said they approve of the way Bush is handling the economy - up six points from the magazine’s previous poll a month ago. Forty-eight per cent said they disapprove.

Among contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean edges out Gen Wesley Clark in the poll. Sixteen per cent of Democratic voters and those who lean Democratic said Dean would be their first choice, while 15 per cent said Clark would be.

Rep Dick Gephardt was third with 9 per cent; followed by Sen Joseph Lieberman at 8 per cent; Sen John Kerry and former Senator and Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun at 7 per cent; Sen John Edwards at 6 per cent; the Rev Al Sharpton at 4 per cent; and Rep Dennis Kucinich at 2 per cent. Asked about possible match-ups between Bush and Clark, Dean, Kerry, Lieberman, and Gephardt, respondents gave Bush a 4 or 5 per cent lead in each case.