RASMUSSEN - AT 10:46 A.M. ET:  The president's poll numbers have actually shown a slight improvement in the last few days, possibly as a response to news coverage of the town-hall meetings on health care.  They may (or may not) show some future improvement because of the over-hyped improvement in the unemployment rate.  Still, these numbers are grim for the White House, which only months ago basked in numbers fit for a divine entity.

Rasmussen this morning reports presidential approval and disapproval split down the middle, at 50% each.  This is hardly cause for breaking out the champagne in the oval office.  Obama has improved more in Ras's presidential approval index, measuring the gap between those who strongly approve and those who strongly disapprove.  That stands at minus five today.  It had been down to minus 12 on July 30th.

We always stress that polls are snapshots in time.  The only one that counts, as they say, is the one on election day.

August 8, 2009