Three Guesses Why

Poll: Seniors Key to Slip in Bush Rating

The public's confidence in President Bush's job performance and the nation's direction has slipped in the opening weeks of his second term, particularly among people 50 and older, according to an Associated Press poll.

Adults were evenly divided on Bush's job performance in January, but now 54 percent disapprove and 45 percent approve. The number who think the country is headed down the wrong track increased from 51 percent to 58 percent in the past month.

Wow, that seems like a precipitous drop. Back to the AP:

The survey wasn't all bad for the Bush administration: People are slightly more optimistic about the possibility of a stable, democratic Iraq.

The poll, conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs, was taken after the president's State of the Union address and the elections in Iraq and at the start of a heated debate over creating personal Social Security accounts.

I know things move fast, but I expected the good feelings from the Iraqi election to last a bit longer (even though subsequent events soured me pretty quickly afterwards).

Let's hope these poll results are something that Dems can build on.