Conservatives Drive Bush's Approval Down

President Bush makes remarks at the American Jewish Committee Centennial Dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington Thursday, May 4, 2006. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert - AP)

Of all Republicans, nearly 30 percent disapprove of the job Bush is doing, including 13 percent who feel strongly about it.

"Hopefully this is a wake-up call for my party to get out of its bunker and hunker mentality," said Republican strategist Greg Mueller, whose firm specializes in conservative politics.

He urged his party to start criticizing Democratic positions on the Iraq war, immigration and the economy.

"We've been like a punching bag," Mueller said.

Democrats need to gain 15 seats in the House and six in the Senate for control of Congress, no easy task in an era that favors incumbents.

"What we have to do is earn the public approval of our right to govern again," said Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean.

The Democratic strategy is to nationalize the elections around a throw-the-bums-out theme.

Republicans counter that they will do better than polls suggest when voters are forced on Election Day to choose between candidates in their particular House and Senate races.

"But," Ayres said, "we better get in gear."

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the poll numbers were "snapshots in time."

"When you're engaged in a war, it makes people anxious about the future," McClellan said. "But this country is on a solid track under this president because of his leadership. We have worked together to accomplish big things."

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Ipsos: http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com

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Associated Press writer Will Lester, manager of news surveys Trevor Tompson, and polling director Mike Mokrzycki contributed to this story.