OBAMA SLIPS IN AP POLL - AT 8:12 A.M. ET:  The AP poll just out shows Obama declining.  AP polls still tend to show higher numbers for the president than the Rasmussen survey, but the trend is clear.  From The Politico:

A new AP-GfK poll shows that Americans are more pessimistic about the direction of the country than they were just a month ago, with President Obama’s approval ratings dropping.

Obama’s approval rating was at 54 percent in the poll, about the same as in October but down from a high of 74 percent last January. Fifty-six percent say the country is heading in the wrong direction, up from 51 percent who said so last month.

Forty-six percent said they approve of the way Obama is handling the economy, the number one issue on people’s minds according to the poll, down from 50 percent who approved in the previous poll.

On Iraq, 45 percent now say they disapprove of his handling of that war while 48 percent say they disapprove of the way he’s handling Afghanistan – both increases from a month ago. And 54 percent now say they oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan, compared to 50 percent who said that in October.

COMMENT:  There is nothing on the horizon to improve these numbers.  The passage of a health reform bill may well do more damage than good to Mr. Obama's standing, because the public, in other polls, has rejected the legislation currently before Congress.

A little leadership on foreign and defense policy would help.  But that's not where Obama's instincts are.

November 11,  2009