Obama 50, Bush 44

Remember that former president that just about nobody liked by the time he left office this past January? Well, he's looking a lot better these days:

Perhaps the greatest measure of Obama's declining support is that just 50% of voters now say they prefer having him as President to George W. Bush, with 44% saying they'd rather have his predecessor.

Given the horrendous approval ratings Bush showed during his final term that's somewhat of a surprise and an indication that voters are increasingly placing the blame on Obama for the country's difficulties instead of giving him space because of the tough situation he inherited. The closeness in the Obama/Bush numbers also has implications for the 2010 elections.

And that's what people will tell the pollsters. In the privacy of a voting both I bet those numbers would be even closer...and maybe even reversed.