Bush complains Iraq war drowns out good economic news

President George W. Bush, battling a slump in his poll ratings, expressed frustration that bad news from Iraq is drowning out what he called good news on the US economy.

In an interview with the financial news network CNBC, Bush said he had "been spending a lot of time on the economy" in his public pronouncements, to little avail.

"The problem is that we're in war, and sometimes it's hard for people to get a positive message about the economy when they're troubled by scenes of violence on the TV screens," the president said.

Bush said news Friday that the US economy created 138,000 new jobs in April, while much less than expected on Wall Street, "is an indication that this economy's still strong."

But that economic strength has not translated into political capital for Bush, despite a noticeable increase in the president's public appearances in recent weeks to trumpet healthy growth figures.

The most recent poll by USA Today/Gallup this week found that Bush's approval ratings had hit a new low, just six months ahead of US elections in which his Republican Party is battling to maintain control of Congress.

Bush's overall approval rating has plunged to 34 percent from 43 percent at the beginning of the year, according to the poll.

The president also received his lowest marks ever on the economy -- 34 percent approval.

Bush said he recognised public anxiety about soaring gasoline prices and "a kind of a dread of competition out there" from the rest of the world.

"And so the numbers have been good, and the facts are good, but ... I think it's wise to recognise there are some troubling aspects of today's society, which may make it more difficult for me to get my message through," Bush said.

"But I am still going to talk the facts, the facts are stubborn things, and the American people have got to know that this economy is strong and we've got a plan to keep it strong."

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