March 13 (Bloomberg) — Americans’ support for President George W. Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq continues to erode, producing a pervasive pessimism about the direction of the country, according to a new Bloomberg poll.

The survey also shows a plurality of Americans still approves of the new Democratic-led Congress while giving mixed signals about what to do about Iraq. A majority backs Democrats’ proposals to withdraw troops by a set time next year while opposing congressional meddling in the conduct of the war.

There was little encouraging news for Bush in the poll of 2,269 adults taken from March 3 to March 11. The president’s overall job rating was 38 percent, he got negative reviews on the economy and, by better than 2-to-1, people gave thumbs down to his Iraq policy. Seven in 10 Americans said the country is seriously off track.

“Everything is piling on and there’s nothing that’s getting him out,” said Susan Pinkus, poll director at the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg’s polling partner.

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