OBAMA RATINGS UP - AT 10:28 A.M. ET:  Rasmussen has recently been reporting improved approval ratings for President Obama.  It varies from day to day, of course, and all polls have a margin of error, but the trend - and that's what we look for - has definitely been upward.  For example, Ras's poll out this morning shows 58% approving of the president's performance, with 41% disapproving, a margin of 17%.  It was down to 9% as recently as May 2nd.

What could be causing this?  It's too early to tell, and of course the trend can reverse.  But, as we discussed in our 7:12 a.m. post today, there's a lot of buzz as to whether Obama is moving to the center, and certainly some of the national-security decisions he's made recently hint at that.  Is it possible that he's strengthening his support in the middle of the political spectrum?  We'll watch the trend.

May 19, 2009