Phoenix (US): President George W Bush today hits the campaign trail for John McCain, reviving debate over whether the US leader's rock-bottom approval ratings will damage the 2008 Republican pick.

The president, still popular with grass-roots Republicans and a formidable fundraiser, was due to inject much needed cash into McCain's campaign war chest with a private fundraiser in the western state of Arizona.

But his mere presence on the campaign trail, and an expected brief photo-op with McCain, was to provide ammunition for Democrats keen to drag down Arizona Senator McCain with Bush's countrywide unpopularity.

A CNN/Opinion Research poll this month showed that 71 per cent of Americans disapprove of how Bush is doing his job, the first time any president had smashed the 70 per cent barrier.

A George Washington University poll last week found similar sentiment, with 63 per cent of voters disapproving of Bush's performance.

"Voters continue to punish President Bush and the Republican party in what they see now as a long term trend in economic policies that have failed, foreign affairs (policies) that have failed and a war that is not getting better," said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, as the poll was released.

Given that environment, it is not surprising that McCain has not appeared with Bush in public for nearly three months, since just after he captured the Republican party nomination.

McCain's most likely Democratic presidential opponent Senator Barack Obama has already signalled he will paint McCain as a clone of the president.

Source : PTI