The poll conducted by Washington Post and ABC News does not hold the United States Congress in good light either as the legislators collectively faired badly or worse than the White House in terms of performance.

Bush's approval rating stands at 33 per cent, equal to his career low in Post-ABC poll, but only 29 per cent approve of the job Congress is doing, its lowest approval rating in this poll since November 1995, when Republicans controlled both the House and Senate.

It also represents a 14-point drop since Democrats took control in January.

The Post points out that part of the displeasure with Congress stems from the stalemate between Democrats and the White House over Iraq policy with most Americans do not believe Congress has gone far enough in opposing the war.

Overall, 55 per cent of Americans want congressional Democrats to do more to challenge the President's Iraq policies, while a third think the Democrats have gone too far.

The poll points out that more than eight in 10 liberal Democrats said Congress has been too restrained, while about the same percentage of conservative Republicans said it has been too aggressive.