Congress' Approval Rating Tanks

The Dems were flying high following the November election, and their approval ratings were equally high as many voters who clearly didn't know any better expected good things from them. After months of ineptitude, Congress' approval ratings are back in the tank where they started:

The Democrats in Congress have lost much of the leadership edge they carried out of the 2006 midterm election, with the lack of progress in Iraq being the leading cause. Their only solace: President Bush and the Republicans aren't doing any better.

Six weeks ago the Democrats held a 24-point lead over Bush as the stronger leadership force in Washington; today that's collapsed to a dead heat. The Democrats' overall job approval rating likewise has dropped, from a 54 percent majority to 44 percent now -- with the decline occurring almost exclusively among strong opponents of the Iraq War.

The Dem leadership numbers have fallen because if there's one thing they haven't shown since they took over is leadership.