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The takeover, undergoing a 45-day review by administration officials, faced broad opposition — substantial majorities of Democrats and independents, along with a solid plurality of Republicans said they do not want the agreement to proceed.

Buffeted by resistance to the port transaction and discontent over the turmoil in Iraq, President Bush's approval rating fell to 38%, the lowest level recorded for him in the poll. His disapproval rating rose to 58%.

And in a trend that could affect turnout in the November midterm elections, Bush confronts what might be called an intensity gap: the percentage of Americans who said they strongly disapprove of his performance on a wide range of issues greatly exceeded the share who strongly approve[...]

In the Times poll, majorities disapproved of Bush's performance in dealing with each of four issues measured: the economy, the federal budget deficit, Iraq and terrorism.

Amid searing sectarian violence in Iraq, 34% said they approved of Bush's handling of the conflict, down from 41% last month. The new results are, by far, the lowest ratings on the war recorded for Bush in a Times poll.

On the economy, 37% approved of Bush's performance, while 60% disapproved. On the federal budget deficit, the figures were 24% approval and 67% disapproval. Also, just 19% said the economy "is better off" because of Bush's policies, while 52% said his ideas had hurt the economy.

Perhaps most striking, 44% said they approved of Bush's handling of terrorism, while 54% disapproved — the first time a majority has expressed a negative opinion about his handling of that issue in a Times survey.