Bush drops in polls

The New York Times reports that President Bush's poll numbers are as bad as they've ever been. The president's latest approval ratings have apparently been affected by skyrocketing gas prices, turmoil in Iraq, and the government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina.

The New York Times poll suggests that even the president's strong point -- handling terrorism -- is losing the country's support. According to the Times: "More Americans now distrust the federal government to do the right thing than at any time since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon."

Meanwhile, Tina Brown wonders if the president's political problems will lead to Fox News toning down its partisan leanings. No sign of that yet, but, as Brown writes in the Washington Post, Rupert Murdoch has been known for "bending with the political wind."