Even With Economic Crisis, President Obama is More Popular Than Ever

BY Celeste Katz
DAILY NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Mr. President, Americans think you're the man.

President Obama is more popular than ever, according to a new poll that shows two-thirds of the country feels "hopeful" about Obama's leadership.

Obama now has a 60% approval rating, and people feel things are looking up since he took office, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

The percentage of those who say the country's "headed in the right direction" has skyrocketed compared to the number who felt that way before Obama took office.

Now, 41% of Americans say the country's going the right way, compared to 26% who thought so just before Obama's inauguration.

Forty-four percent of those polled still say the country's on "the wrong track" — but "given the economic conditions, pollsters expected it to be much higher," the Journal said. The survey found "a record 70%" of people very dissatisfied with the economy.

Of course, not everyone likes the new president: About 28% of those polled said they feel "doubtful" about his plans.

Most Americans still back Obama's expansive economic stimulus program, the poll found — even though a majority also feel it will help the economy only a little or possibly not at all.

A solid 80% approve of Obama's plan to get most U.S. troops out of Iraq within 18 months. Just over half of those polled said the war has been a success, up from 43% who thought so last July.

First Lady Michelle Obama has a solid fan base: She scored 63% positive ratings and just 8% negative ratings.

And in a reversal from the rock-bottom ratings Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got just after she and her husband vacated the White House, Clinton had a record-breaking 59% of Americans viewing her in a positive light, compared to 22% who viewed her negatively.

It's the Republicans who took the real beating: By a more than two to one margin, the Journal said, Americans trust Democrats over the GOP to pull the country out of the recession.

The survey of just over 1,000 adults ran from Feb. 26 to March 1 and has an margin of error of about 3%.

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