May 15 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush faces the disapproval of a majority of Americans for the first time in his presidency, with only 42 percent saying they approve of the job he's doing, the lowest number yet in a Newsweek magazine poll.

Bush's overall job approval rating in the survey conducted May 13 and 14 fell from 49 percent in the last Newsweek poll almost a month ago, while the number of respondents who say they approve of his handling of Iraq also dropped to 35 percent from 44 percent. Forty-one percent of registered voters say they want Bush reelected, down from 46 percent.

Over the last month, Americans have learned that U.S. military personnel abused Iraqi prisoners and a 26 year-old American civilian in Iraq, Nicholas Berg, was beheaded by terrorists in the country. During April, 174 American soldiers also died in combat in Iraq.

The thinning support for Bush, 57, hasn't pushed Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat and presidential candidate, ahead of his opponent. The last Newsweek poll found that Kerry, 60, would have defeated Bush, if the election were held at that time, with 50 percent of the vote to Bush's 43 percent. In the new poll, the candidates are in a statistical tie.

The U.S. must continue its fight in Iraq following Berg's murder, Bush said in his weekly radio address today, adding that success in that conflict won't be derailed by the abuse scandal. Clashes with U.S. soldiers left 41 Iraqi militiamen dead in the last twenty-four hours, Cable News Network reported, citing coalition officials. Five U.S. soldiers also died in the last day.

Staying in Iraq

A majority of Americans appear to agree with Bush on keeping U.S. soldiers in Iraq, according to Newsweek. In the magazine's poll, 57 percent of respondents said that despite the prison abuse scandal, the U.S. can still ``achieve its goals'' in Iraq and shouldn't withdraw troops from the country.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq yesterday banned prison interrogation techniques such as sleep deprivation, stress positions and the use of military dogs to intimidate detainees. Military investigators have portrayed the mistreatment as the work of a few undisciplined soldiers rather than tactics ordered by commanders to aid military intelligence efforts.

In the Newsweek poll, 45 percent of respondents said ``higher- ups'' in the military chain of command authorized abusive treatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers. Still, fifty-seven percent of those polled said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should keep his job.

``All Americans know that the actions of a few do not reflect the true character of the United States Armed Forces,'' Bush said in the radio address. ``No military in the history of the world has fought so hard and so often for the freedom of others.''

Kerry Response

Kerry, who criticized the indictment of seven U.S. soldiers in the abuse scandal, has called on Rumsfeld to step down over his handling of the war in Iraq.

``We have a duty to guarantee that, when mistakes are made, those responsible are held accountable whether they are at the bottom of the chain of command or at the top,'' Kerry said in the Democratic response to the President's radio address.

While most American's agree with his commitment to remain in Iraq, they don't approve of the way Bush is doing his job overall. Bush's approval rating is now lower than the ratings Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan enjoyed at the same point in their first terms as president, Newsweek said.

In May 1996, Clinton garnered a 48 percent approval rating while Reagan's rating reached 54 percent in May 1984, according to Newsweek. Both men were re-elected.

Gerald Ford, who lost his bid for a second term as president, had a 47 percent approval rating in May 1976. George H. W. Bush, who also failed to win re-election, had a 35 percent approval rating in May 1992.

The margin of error in the new poll of 1,010 adults, contacted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for Newsweek, was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

To contact the reporter on this story: Otis Bilodeau in Washington at obilodeau@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 15, 2004 15:10 EDT