The latest Gallup poll documents the increasingly sour mood of the public about President Bush and, critically, many of his personal characteristics.

Start with his overall approval rating: down to 50 percent with 47 percent disapproval–tied with a mid-September poll for the worst of his presidency. Then consider items like whether Bush “is in touch with the problems ordinary Americans face in their daily lives”. Only 42 percent say this applies to Bush; 57 percent say it does not.

Or how about whether Bush “generally agrees with you on issues you care about”–right now, just 48 percent say this characteristic applies to Bush, down from 64 percent the last time Gallup asked this, in May of 2002. And the same number, 48 percent, say Bush “can get the economy moving”, with 50 percent saying he cannot.

Well, does Bush share their values? An underwhelming 53 percent believe he does, down from 66 percent at the time of last November’s election. And does Bush “care about the needs of people like you”? Uh-uh, says the public, by 50 percent to 49 percent. That’s a 16 point swing from the end of June, when the public believed, by 57 percent to 42 percent, that he did care about the needs of people like them.

How about whether he “is a person you admire”? Right now, it’s a 50 percent to 49 percent split in favor of “admire”–but that’s down from a 54 percent to 45 percent split in June of this year and a 64 percent to 33 percent split in May of last year. And here’s the kicker: the number who believe he is “honest and trustworthy” is down 14 points–from 73 percent to 59 percent–just since early April. If that number keeps heading downward, that’s particularly bad news for Bush, who has relied heavily on a bond of personal trust with the public to buoy his presidency.

Even Bush’s traditionally strong suit of being a “strong and decisive leader” has been taking a big hit. In early April, 80 percent said that characteristic applied to Bush; now that’s down to 66 percent, a 14 point drop.

Of course, people still seem to like the guy at some level: 68 percent say they approve of Bush “as a person”, a number appears to have changed little during the course of the Bush presidency. At the margin that perception might help Bush a bit in ‘04. But if this is what the Republican spin-meisters are reduced to using as an indicator of Bush’s popular support, Democrats shouldn’t be intimidated. Far from it.

Now all we need is the right candidate to beat Mr. Nice-Guy-But-Not-Much-Else-Going-For-Him. Back to that issue soon.