More Poll Data

The Washington Post says that in its latest poll, President Bush’s standing has “stabilized.” That’s fair enough, as the poll shows an approval rating of 53%, compared to 54% at the end of September.
The news isn’t all good for the President, as he loses to an unnamed Democratic opponent 46% to 47%. This test is generally viewed as not very meaningful, as any particular Democratic nominee will have weaknesses that can be exploited. But Bush has experienced significant slippage on this question; six months ago he led the generic Democrat by thirteen points.
Interestingly, there has been little or no change in the public’s perception of Bush’s handling of the Iraq situation over the last six weeks or so. What has changed is the public’s view of the economy, which has gotten rosier since last month. Still, the President’s rating on the economy is well below what it was at this time last year.
All in all, a very mixed bag, but it does seem that the President has come close to bottoming out, assuming no really significant bad news.