WTF Is It Now?!?

Behind the poll numbers
"A glance at recent polls reveals that Bush's 'huge' popularity, when not propped up by war, is quickly returning to ordinary levels. (For some reason, the media rarely referred to Bill Clinton as 'hugely popular' even when his approval ratings rose to 75 percent.) More significantly, Bush's 'reelect' numbers have again dropped below 50 percent in most surveys, which is where they have languished during most of his presidency.

"For instance, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows him with 47 percent, or a couple of points less than he got in the 2000 election. The Ipsos-Reid/Cook Political Report poll taken two weeks ago shows him at 43 percent. The CBS News/New York Times poll gives Bush 34 percent, the unnamed Democrat 21 percent, with 56 percent of independent voters undecided." - Joe Conason.