The Washington Post did not give very prominent play this morning to its latest poll. But the survey shows some of the best — although not actually good — numbers for President Bush out of a number of recent polls. Bush’s job approval rating is 41 percent, significantly above the 34 percent found in the CBS poll a few days ago.

Also, Bush’s approval ratings on particular issues, which are again not good, are better than than have been in other surveys. Forty percent approve of his handling of Iraq, 52 percent approve of his handling of terrorism, 48 percent approve of his handling of the economy, 44 percent approve of his handling of international affairs, and 40 percent approve of his handling of ethics in government. On the lower side, 32 percent approve of his handling of prescription drug benefits for the elderly, 36 percent approve of his handling of Hurricane Katrina, and 38 percent approve of his handling of health care.

The Post’s numbers on Congress are more striking. In the new poll, just 36 percent say they approve of the way Congress is doing its job. That is down seven points from a Post poll in late January, and it is the lowest rating for Congress in a Post poll since October 1997. When the Post asked which party respondents trusted “to do a better job in coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years,” 42 percent said Democrats and 40 percent said Republicans. The number for Democrats is down nine points from the Post’s late January survey, while the number for Republicans is up three points.

On Congress and the issues, the results are pretty much a wash. On handling of Iraq, 42 percent trusted Democrats to do a better job, while 42 percent trusted Republicans. On handling the economy, 49 percent chose Democrats, while 40 percent chose Republicans. But on handling terrorism, 46 percent chose Republicans, while 39 percent chose Democrats. On each of those issues, Democrats are trending downward from recent Post polls.