WASHINGTON, 7 August 2003 — US President George W. Bush would suffer serious political damage should Secretary of State Colin Powell opt not to stay on if Bush wins re-election next year, a leading polling firm said yesterday.
Powell’s widespread popularity cuts across the US political spectrum and his departure would be a “significant loss” for Bush, according to the Gallup Organization.
“Gallup Poll data strongly suggest that a Powell departure would be a significant loss for the Bush administration,” the company said in a report which called his popularity “remarkable.”
The firm noted that Powell’s favorable rating now stands at 83 percent, 18 points higher than the president’s, and that his image has been almost totally untarnished despite Bush’s flagging popularity in the wake of the Iraq war.
“Powell’s image appears relatively impervious to damage,” Gallup said.
“His favorable rating has remained high despite his public and visible connection with the administration’s assertions earlier this year — still unproven — that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction,” it said.
Gallup also said that nearly 69 percent of Americans who disapprove of Bush’s performance still have a favorable opinion of Powell and that he is admired across political party lines.
In June, Powell’s favorable rating among Republicans was 94 percent, among Democrats 82 percent and among independents 78 percent, it said.
Despite their adamant rejection of the reports, Powell is known to have told associates he is unlikely to continue on as the top US diplomat if Bush is reelected, according to informed sources.
