THE PRESIDENT AND THE POLLS - AT 8:38 A.M. ET:  We've been reporting on the president's steady slippage in the polls.  Byron York, at the Washington Examiner, goes inside the latest Gallup Poll to show just where the damage is:

Among age groups: For the first time in the White House, Obama is below 50 percent with every age group of Americans except those between 18 and 29. He's at 48 percent with people in the 30-49 range; 46 percent with people in the 50-64 range; and 42 percent with people 65 and over. Among those 18-29, he's at 61 percent.

Churchill once said that anyone who isn't a liberal at 20 has no heart, and anyone who isn't a conservative by 30 has no head.  What we're probably seeing in the 18-29 exception is the traditional liberalism of young people.  However, what we may also be seeing is the effect of the educational system, which has tilted increasingly to the left.  We've seen that this malady often gets worked out with age.

Among racial groups: For the first time in the White House, Obama support among white Americans has fallen below 40 percent. He's at 39 percent among whites; 91 percent among blacks, and 70 percent among Hispanics.

Not really shocking.  Blacks, understandably, have an affinity for Mr. Obama.  Whites have been trending away from the Democrats, even under white presidents.  If there's any surprise, it's the high approval number for the president among Hispanics, who haven't always had the best relationships with blacks.  But the GOP is seen as tough on immigration, which is having its effect on Hispanic voters.

Among income groups: For the first time in the White House, Obama is below 50 percent with every income group except those making less than $2,000 a month.

Although he does smashingly in Beverly Hills and Manhattan. 

For the first time in the White House, Obama is below 50 percent with everyone who goes to church.

During the campaign, in a statement he didn't know was being recorded, Mr. Obama decried Americans who cling to their religion and their guns.  Apparently, they're not clinging to him.

Of course, these numbers can change dramatically.  It's not in the bag for Republicans.  Mr. Obama is still personally liked by a majority of Americans.  But he is political trouble because of his policies, and his perceived weakness.  It's being reported that those around Mr. Obama worry that he can become another Jimmy Carter. 

The question is whether the president, not known for modesty, is equally worried...or equally unimpressed by Jimmah. 

We may get some hint of where the president's head is in his Afghanistan speech next Tuesday. 

November 25, 2009