Not everyone loves congress or Bush

WASHINGTON - Public approval of Congress has edged up a bit now that Democrats are back in control, but it's still nothing to write home about. Approval for the way Congress is handling its job rose to 32 percent in the latest AP-Ipsos poll, up from a meager 27 percent a month earlier. That puts Congress on par with
President Bush, whose 32 percent approval rating represents a new low for him in AP-Ipsos polling.

The Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , took control of Congress when the new session began on Jan. 4.

The softening of attitudes toward Congress suggests legislators may have an opportunity to improve their standing in the new year, but there appears to be little opening for Bush to move up similarly, public opinion experts believe.

"The question for Nancy Pelosi and Mr. Reid and the Democrats is whether they show the American public they can govern in a responsible way," said James Thurber, a political scientist at American University. Bush has less chance for improvement, Thurber said, because the unpopular war in
Iraq is "the driving issue" in assessing his performance.

Congress typically gets fairly low approval ratings, although individual legislators tend to receive better reviews.