In with the new, out with the old

It doesn’t really matter which poll you consult — Zogby, Pew, Gallup — they all show the same thing: Incoming president Barack Obama is hitting new highs in public support, while outgoing President George W. Bush is hitting new lows.

To be fair, it’s like comparing apples and oranges: Bush’s record includes 9/11, Katrina, two wars, a controversial re-election, and an economic meltdown of historic proportions. Meanwhile, Obama’s record includes a low-key decade as a state senator and U.S. senator.

But there’s no denying the numbers are impressive. Even Obama’s incoming numbers are handing Bush’s a thrashing — a pre-inaugural poll by Pew Research Center finds that 79 percent of Americans have a “favorable impression” of the incoming leader. In 2001, George W. Bush had to make do with 60 percent. Pew reports that Obama even has more optimists on his side:

As is typically the case at this stage, most Americans think it is too early to tell whether Obama will be a successful or unsuccessful president. Yet optimists far outnumber pessimists (30% successful vs. 4% unsuccessful). At a comparable point in 2001, 26% said they expected Bush to be successful, compared with 15% who said he would be unsuccessful.

Perhaps more important, these optimists are also willing to be patient. According to the latest New York Times/CBS News: Read full story