Parsing Bush's Poll Numbers

Gallup released its latest poll on President George W. Bush this week.

Bush's approval rating stands at 34%. This is no surprise; Bush's job approval rating has essentially flat-lined at around 35% in 2007, and it appears doubtful that he'll enjoy any improvement in the near future. The unpopular war in Iraq -- which shows little sign of improvement -- is the main reason behind his dismal numbers. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

I suspect Bush remains very popular here in Northwest Florida, where the majority of voters register as Republicans. In that regard, our area reflects his national approval rating among Republicans, which stands at 75%.

But nationally, the Republicans have to be sweating over their prospects in 2008. Not surprisingly, only 8% of Democrats approve of Bush's performance. Of greater concern, though, is that 31% of Independents approve of Bush. And his approval rating is at 40 percent or lower in every region of the country. Those are very short coattails indeed.

That means that a large number Republican congressmen and senators in parts of the country with viable two-party systems are very nervous about their futures. And that will make it increasingly difficult for the president to keep those folks on board as it regards support for the war in Iraq.

Or at least that's how I see it. What's everyone else think?