The President's New Direction

It's official: The Bush comeback has begun!

You can look it up.

Poll-addicted journalists measure these things by numbers, and the verdict is in.

The president is climbing out of a deep hole. He's on the rise. The L.A. Times says so. This completely changes the--

Huh?

What's that?

Oh. I see. The New York Times poll has Bush . . . standing still. Going nowhere. Stuck in neutral.

Wait, let me call my editor and kill that Bush bounceback story I was going to write.

The trend remains unclear. Or maybe there is no trend. Though I think they take away your press card if you admit that.

Here's the LAT good-for-Bush story:

"President Bush's approval rating has reached its highest level since January, helping to boost the Republican Party's image across a range of domestic and national security issues just seven weeks before this year's mid-term election, a new Times/Bloomberg poll has found. "While the survey spotlights a continuing array of Republican vulnerabilities, it also offers the first evidence in months that the GOP may be gaining momentum in November's battle for control of Congress.

"Democrats hold a lead in the poll, 49% to 39%, when registered voters are asked which party they intend to support for Congress this year . . . One of the key figures -- Bush's approval rating -- rose among registered voters from 41% in late June to 44% in the new poll, with 54% disapproving."