Bush Popularity Continues Freefall

As Wolf Blitzer so aptly points out today:

Mr. Bush's poll numbers are already declining. The latest CNN-Time poll shows his approval rating at 52 percent as of last week, down from 63 percent in May, right after he declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq.

And contrast that to 89 percent two years ago -- at an extraordinary moment right after September 11, 2001.

Compare that to his predecessor's most difficult political gauntlet. September 1998 was the height of the impeachment scandal. Bill Clinton's approval rating was 63 percent. In December 1998, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Mr. Clinton. His approval rating climbed to 67 percent.

Now, in the midst of a re-election campaign, a president counts on stabilization in Iraq, a reduced terrorist threat and patience from voters.