NEW YORK - Support for the war in Iraq among Americans has tumbled to an all-time low, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll published on Saturday.

Only 44 percent of those surveyed said the United States did the right thing by invading Iraq, the lowest rating since the question was first asked by the poll more than two years ago, the poll showed, according to The New York Times.

Furthermore, more than eight in 10 Americans are very or somewhat concerned that the war is costing money and resources needed in the United States, the poll showed.

The poll results come as the United States faces a bill of as much as $200 billion to rebuild the Gulf Coast after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. President George W. Bush has promised not to raise taxes to pay for it, as Americans also grapple with high prices at the pump in Katrina"s aftermath.

The poll also showed sharp racial divides in how the war is perceived by Americans. Only 36 percent of white Americans felt the war was having a negative impact in their communities, compared to 58 percent of black Americans.

Nearly 60 percent now disapprove of the president"s handling of the Iraqi conflict and nearly half of all Americans are not proud of what the United States is doing in the war, the poll found.

The nationwide telephone poll was conducted from September 9 through September 13 among 1,167 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The results of the poll were published at the end of one of the bloodiest weeks in and around Baghdad since U.S. troops invaded Iraq in 2003, as a wave of bombings and shootings claimed more than 200 lives.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Ltd