RASMUSSEN - AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  Rasmussen this morning is reporting the highest overall disapproval rating for President Obama that Ras has measured since inauguration.  Some 52% of those polled disapprove of the president's job performance, while 48% approve. 

The president cannot seem to get any traction from anything.  True, we're in the middle of the summer, and the real political season won't begin until next month.  But clearly Mr. Obama is in trouble, with nothing coming up that looks promising for him.

President Kennedy had an unsuccessful first year in office, but rose in prestige in 1962, as a result of his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis.  But Obama has problems on his left, which may make any tough action in foreign policy particularly difficult.

August 12, 2009