Dean Widely Expected to Head DNC
BLITZER: There are some major shifts in a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, a poll just out in the past couple hours. Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider has been looking at the numbers and the story behind them.</s>WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush's job approval is up, 57 percent. Higher than the 51 percent who voted to re-elect him three months ago. Well, sure, you say, he just delivered his State of the Union. But the main topic of that speech was Social Security, and the president's approval rating on Social Security did not change much. What did change? Iraq. Up 8 points. What happened? The January 30th election.</s>RUMSFELD: To the people who put their names on the ballots showed a great deal of courage. And that has to be inspirational for the people of Iraq, to see that movement forward politically.</s>SCHNEIDER: It was also encouraging for Americans who didn't expect too much from the Iraqi election.</s>SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, the early indications are pretty much what I think we expected.</s>SCHNEIDER: Actually, more than 60 percent of Americans say the Iraqi election went better than they expected. And there's been a turnaround of opinion about whether the war in Iraq was a mistake. Last month, most Americans said it was a mistake to send U.S. troops to Iraq. Now most say Iraq was not a mistake. The public is not so sure about the president's Social Security plan. They disapprove of it by 50 to 44 percent. In his State of the Union speech, President Bush aimed his pitch at younger workers.</s>BUSH: Your money will grow over time at a greater rate than anything the current system can deliver.</s>SCHNEIDER: But Americans under 55 are not showing much enthusiasm for the president's proposal. They're divided, 45 percent like it, 48 percent don't. President Bush reassured older workers that for them, Social Security would not change in any way. Didn't matter. Older Americans are solidly opposed to the president's plan.</s>SCHNEIDER: What's giving the president a boost isn't the news from Washington, it's the news from Baghdad.</s>BLITZER: It's very interesting. But as good as these numbers are for the president, bad numbers for the Democrats. Talk about what the American public is saying in this poll as far as their attitude towards Democrats are concerned.</s>SCHNEIDER: Not very good at all. The public in fact has a 47 percent unfavorable view of the Democratic Party. That is the least favorable view of the Democrats in at least 13 years. You'll notice that the favorable view of the Republicans is 56, the Democrats 46. That's a very negative view. Now this is not unusual right after a president's inauguration that the opposition party does poorly. But these are very bad numbers right now.</s>BLITZER: The Democratic Party is about to get a new chairman, Howard Dean. What does the American public think of him?</s>SCHNEIDER: Not much. We asked people what do you think of Howard Dean? Favorable, unfavorable? And the answer was only 31 percent have a favorable view of former Governor Dean, 38 percent unfavorable and about a third unsure. That's a negative view of a man who is just about to take over the Democratic Party. It doesn't look like he is going to lift the party very much, although he may be able to raise some money.</s>BLITZER: I'm sure he'll be able to do that. They have their work cut out for them, the Democrats.</s>SCHNEIDER: They certainly do.</s>BLITZER: Bill Schneider, thanks very much. There are new attacks right now in Iraq. Dozens are killed in separate bombings. We'll show you where, what's going on. And the new Bush budget. Under fire already from some critics, likely and unlikely. The White House Budget Director Josh Bolton standing by at the White House. He'll join us live. And a survivor of a corporate jet crash shares her amazing story with us. Stay with us.