With the US administration coming under increasing criticism on its policies in Iraq,  President George W Bush's approval rating has dropped to the  pre-war level of 55 per cent, a new Time/CNN opinion poll has found.

While there is an eight per cent drop in Bush's rating in May, 50 per cent of the respondents said they are very or somewhat likely to vote for Bush in the next year's election.

The number of Americans who think Bush is doing a good job in dealing with Iraq has dropped 14 points, from 69 per
cent to 55 per cent.

Less than four in ten (39 per cent) of Americans surveyed think the military campaign against Iraq has been successful. This number is sharply down from March 27, 2003, when 52 per cent said it was a success.

However, two-thirds (66 per cent) of those surveyed think that regardless of whether they vote for Bush, it is very or somewhat likely that he would win the 2004 presidential election.