Obama’s Approval Rating

Obama’s Approval Rating, If you’re wondering why President Obama is putting such an emphasis on the energy issue, look no further than today’s Washington Post/ABC News poll. Obama’s approval rating is down to 46% in the survey, in large part because of one issue: rising gas prices.

“Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they disapprove of the way the president is handling the situation at the pump, where rising prices have already hit hard,” the Post reports. “Just 26% approve of his work on the issue, his lowest rating in the poll.”

That explains a recent spate of Obama speeches on the subject of energy, stressing an “all-of-the-above” strategy that includes development of alternative sources beyond oil.

It also explains the release of a report today touting the president’s record on new sources of energy.

“Despite the gains we’ve made, today’s high gas prices are a painful reminder that there’s much more work to do free ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil and take control of our energy future,” Obama said in a statement. “And that’s exactly what our administration is committed to doing in the months ahead.”

Obama plans to discuss his “blueprint for a secure energy future” in interviews with television anchors from Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Des Moines, Orlando, Cincinnati, Las Vegas and Pittsburgh.

President Obama

President Obama, In the latest of what seems like an endless string of debates, the candidates for the GOP nomination for president in the 2012 election went head-to-head yet again on Saturday night, this time in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Dubbed the ‘Commander-in-Chief Debate’ and sponsored by CBS News and National Journal, it was the first of the cycle to appear on network television and to focus on foreign policy.

“We’re here tonight talking about how every one of us is better than President Obama,” said Newt Gingrich. While the former Speaker of the House, whose poll numbers for the nomination have recently surged, has been critical of GOP frontrunner and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the past, he declined to pass judgment on his rival during the debate.

For his part, Romney said that only his administration could prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. “If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “And if we elect Mitt Romney, if you’d like me as the next president, they will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Questioned about the controversial interrogation technique known as waterboarding, the candidates’ opinions were split. Businessman Herman Cain, who’s been plagued by a sexual harassment scandal in recent weeks, said he doesn’t consider waterboarding a form of torture, deeming it an “enhanced interrogation technique.” Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann concurred, calling it “very effective.”

But Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman disagreed. Paul said waterboarding is both “immoral” and “impractical,” and Huntsman added, “We diminish our standing in the world and the values that we project, which include liberty, democracy, human rights and open markets, when we torture.”