US President Barack Obama's approval rating has enjoyed a bump up in recent weeks, while Americans see his health care overhaul as both the best and worst thing about his presidency, a new poll released Thursday found. "Halfway through his first term, President Barack Obama has a 48 to 44 percent approval rating, rebounding almost to the magic 50 percent threshold for the first time since October of 2009," according to the latest survey from respected pollster Quinnipiac University.
The figure was a marked improvement from November 17 - just two weeks after Obama's Democrats took a beating at mid-term elections, but before the end-of-year legislative session that saw major Obama accomplishments and compromises with opponents - when Quinnipiac registered an overall 49-44 disapproval rating for the president.