Public confidence in congressional Democrats is on the rise. In the latest survey, Bush's 10 percentage point advantage over the Democrats had vanished. They now hold a 42 percent to 40 percent lead over the president on the question of who should set the nation's policy agenda. A 58 percent majority approved of the way Bush handled the tax cut issue. But an even larger majority said they would have preferred it if the president had spent the money on popular federal programs such as education and Social Security.
Presidential ratings can change precipitously in response to new events and changing circumstances.
Nothing in the poll suggests that Bush cannot recover, or that congressional Democrats will enjoy growing public support. A little rain has fallen. But he certainly isn't an embattled president by any means yet. Bush continues to get high marks from the public for his handling of foreign policy and education, an issue that Bush has made a centerpiece of his administration and one in which Democrats have traditionally held the advantage. Two in three agree with Bush and the Republicans that the states, and not the federal government, would do a better job regulating health plans.