We noticed this charade earlier this summer; a major news org released poll results that didn't match the Beltway press' preferred storyline about Obama's plunging approval ratings. We noticed how journalists then did their best to camouflage the results. Because c'mon, everybody knows today the White House has completely lost control of the health care debate this month. Everybody knows the public is turning on Obama as he approval rating flirts with 50 percent. That's the script.

But uh-oh, the new ABC/WP poll came up with a different results. What were staffers going to do if their poll didn't mirror what all the cool kids were writing? (Awkward!) How were they going to hold their head high and write a straight news lede about how Obama's strong poll numbers were holding steady this summer?!!

Easy. They simply spun the result and buried the lede.

Behold the wizardry of Dan Balz and Jon Cohen. They knew what to do with the embarrassing poll results:

Public confidence in President Obama's leadership has declined sharply over the summer, amid intensifying opposition to health-care reform that threatens to undercut his attempt to enact major changes to the system, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Smooth. The Post suddenly doesn't care about Obama's approval ratings. (So passé.) Nope. Instead, it's all about “leadership” and “faith,” which meant Balz/Cohen could emphasize how Obama had slipped in that category.

Well, sorta [emphasis added]:

Among all Americans, 49 percent now express confidence that Obama will make the right decisions for the country, down from 60 percent at the 100-day mark in his presidency.

Extra smooth! Rather than inform readers whether people have lost confidence in Obama's leadership since July or June, Balz/Cohen reach all the way back to May to make his comparison. The duo used figures from Obama's traditional honeymoon period when new presidents enjoy artificially high ratings, to compare with how he's doing today.

As for Obama's strong 57 approval rating? The Post got to that in the seventh paragraph. But the fact that Obama's approval rating remains statistically unchanged since July? Amazingly, Balz/Cohen somehow forgot to report that fact.

Shocking, we know.