TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – By nearly a 2-to-1 margin, Florida voters disagree with Gov. Jeb Bush's (search) request to investigate any possible delay in a 911 call after Terri Schiavo's 1990 collapse, according to a poll released Thursday.
But 49 percent of the voters surveyed in the Quinnipiac University (search) poll approved of Bush's overall performance as governor, compared to 40 percent who did not. A similar poll two months ago found approval from 51 percent of voters and disapproval from 39 percent.
In the Schiavo case, 59 percent of voters said they disagreed with Bush's request earlier this month to investigate why Schiavo (search) collapsed 15 years ago, citing an alleged time gap between when her husband found her and when he called 911.
"I am aware of no explanation for the delay," Bush said at the time.
Bush said his request for the probe was not meant to suggest wrongdoing by Michael Schiavo. "It's a significant question that during this ordeal was never brought up," Bush told reporters.
Fifty-eight percent of the poll's respondents said they agreed with the decision to remove the feeding tube, including 46 percent who said they agreed strongly. Twenty-four percent of respondents disagreed strongly.
The poll also showed that 70 percent of respondents, including a majority of Republicans with an opinion, say Bush shouldn't run for president in 2008. The governor has consistently said he has no interest in that race.
The poll of 1,248 voters was conducted June 22-26 and had an error margin of 3 percentage points.
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