POLL: ARNOLD GETS OK, BUT DUBYA LOSES.

Byline: - Daily News

War and other woes have driven Republican President Bush's pre-election standing to a record low in California, while GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has rebounded after breaking the budget impasse and unveiling plans to revamp state government, a poll released today shows.

The survey by the Public Policy Institute of California also shows the Democratic ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards leading Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, 54 to 38 percent - compared with 49 to 38 percent in July.

At the same time, Schwarzenegger - whose high approval ratings since last year's gubernatorial recall dipped to 57 percent during July's state budget standoff - bounced back to his previous 65 percent rating this month among Californians.

``Schwarzenegger is a unique phenomenon in a state where both Republican and Democratic officials are viewed in a negative light,'' said Mark Baldassare, the director of the independent nonpartisan survey by the San Francisco-based PPIC.

Analysts attribute the rebound to the poll's finding that many Californians (52 percent) said they were satisfied with the recent budget agreement and that most (65 percent) favor recommendations developed by a Schwarzenegger task force for streamlining state government.

Schwarzenegger aides said they weren't bothered by the previous dip, which they say didn't match what administration officials were hearing from the people. The governor's ratings were lowest in Los Angeles County at 57 percent.