On the March 16 edition of NBC's Today, co-host Matt Lauer asked NBC News Washington bureau chief Tim Russert if President Bush's record-low approval numbers -- as reported in a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll -- are “in some ways a blessing in disguise for Republicans” heading into the 2006 congressional elections. Lauer reasoned that Republicans might benefit from Bush's dismal poll numbers "[b]ecause, basically, they can look and say, 'Look, I don't have a popular president here. I can turn my back on that president, or even oppose that president going into these elections and stem the tide of this voter anger.' "

The March 10-13 poll Lauer and Russert discussed showed a 37 percent job approval rating for Bush, compared to 58 percent disapproval. Twenty-six percent of respondents said they felt the country was "[h]eaded in the right direction," compared with 62 percent who said the country was "[o]ff on the wrong track." Additionally, 26 percent of respondents said they felt that “Bush is facing a short-term setback from which things are likely to get better for him,” compared to 58 percent who said they felt that “he is facing a longer-term setback from which things are unlikely to get better for him” and 11 percent who said they felt that “he is not facing a setback at this time.”

As a March 15 NBC News online article noted, these numbers represent “the lowest job approval rating of [Bush's] presidency [and] the lowest percentage of Americans who believe the country is headed in the right direction.”

From the March 16 edition of NBC's Today:

LAUER: Thirty-seven percent job approval rating is dismal for the president, but you know what, Tim? I was struck even more, as we see that number, by the question of “Do you think this country is moving in the right direction?” And only 26 percent of the people -- one in four, basically -- say yes to that question.

RUSSERT: And 62 percent say “wrong track -- wrong direction.” That is a very important question to pollsters, Matt, because it detects the mood of the country as they look at this presidency, and it's very dismal news for George W. Bush.

LAUER: And if you look at this presidency with three years to go, and you ask people, “Do you think the problems the president has had in the last couple of months” -- and I guess you'd break that down to the ports deal and Iraq -- “are they short-term problems or long-term problems?” A lot of people -- 58 percent -- say, “These are long-term problems.”

RUSSERT: That are going to confront this president. Almost systemic, Matt.

[...]

LAUER: These approval numbers, Tim, are they in some ways a blessing in disguise for Republicans in these midterm elections? Because, basically, they can look and say, “Look, I don't have a popular president here. I can turn my back on that president, or even oppose that president going into these elections and stem the tide of this voter anger.”

RUSSERT: It's pretty tough to do, Matt, because they are in lockstep with the president on so many issues.

LAUER: But they've shown their disputes in the last couple of weeks.

RUSSERT: They have. They separated themselves on the ports issue. But on the primary issue driving these numbers, driving this midterm election -- Iraq -- it's the situation on the ground, and not what's discussed in Washington.