GREAT MOMENTS IN TRANSPARENTLY DISHONEST SPIN

The most recent Gallup Poll shows a mixed set of results on ratings of George W. Bush. The president's job approval rating is up slightly from his previous rating, which was the low point of his presidency....

The poll was conducted Oct. 6-8 and shows Bush's job approval rating at 55%, with 42% disapproving. This represents a modest improvement from the previous Gallup Poll of Sept. 19-21, when 50% approved and 47% disapproved -- the most negative approval ratings in Bush's presidency to date.

--Gallup poll analysis at Gallup.com

* Mixed Results in Latest Bush Ratings

Not so 'mixed' - up 10%

--citation of the Gallup poll at Lucianne Goldberg's Lucianne.com

So now, if Bush is up 5% in a poll, he isn't just up 5% -- he's really up 10%, because the spread between "favorable" and "unfavorable" has now changed 10% in his direction.

This is a highly creative use of numbers. Somehow I don't think Lucianne and her allies ever read the numbers quite this way during the last presidency.

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Here's what Gallup actually means by "mixed results":

Forty-two percent of Americans approve of Bush's handling of the economy, compared with steady ratings in the mid-40s from July through September. Currently, 55% of Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of the economy. Bush's current economic ratings are the worst of his presidency.

...Ratings of Bush's handling of Iraq have also hit a new low. Just 47% approve while 50% disapprove, the first time this approval rating has dipped below 50% in the year in which Gallup has tracked his handling of Iraq.

...Consistent with what has been the case throughout his presidency, the public still has a generally positive impression of Bush. Sixty percent view him favorably, while 39% hold an unfavorable view. While still firmly in positive territory, this is the lowest rating Bush has received since he took office, tied with a 60% favorable rating in August 2001.