ABCnews.com’s coverage of the president’s approval rating begins with 10 paragraphs of gloom and doom. He faces a “conundrum,” a “riddle,” the Democrats are polling better in three of ten areas, he’s losing support, etc.

Then, in paragraph 11, comes this trivial, insignificant fact:

“Even if Bush’s overall approval rating is narrowly based, and thus potentially vulnerable, it’s still darn good. Looking back nearly a half century, only one previous president has had a higher approval rating in January of a re-election year — Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.”

The highest approval rating since Ike, and ABC presents it as BAD news? More bad news like this and it could be 1984 all over again.