PRESIDENT'S NUMBERS DOWN AGAIN - AT 9:39 A.M. ET:  Rasmussen is reporting the lowest approval number for the president since inauguration, and a disapproval number equaling yesterday's, which was the highest since inauguration.

Only 47% of respondents approve of the president's job performance, while 52% disapprove.

Ras's presidential approval index, measuring the gap between those who strongly approve and those who strongly disapprove, is at minus 8, with 29% strongly approving and 37% strongly disapproving.

We always stress that polls are snapshots in time, and that only long-term trends tell the story.  But the long-term trend for the president has been downward.

August 13, 2009