According to the new Gallup poll (previewed on CNN, to be fully released later), Bush has LOST ground on the Social Security issue since starting his campaign.
Take the question, "Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling Social Security?" In 2002, before the topic came up, Bush's approval on the issue was 47-40. Now, here are the recent Approve/Disapprove numbers.
Jan. 7-9: 41-52%
Feb. 4-6: 43-48%
Feb. 25-27: 35-56%
That's not all. On the question, "Who do you trust more to deal with the issue of Social Security?"
Democrats - 47%
Republicans - 37%
Both - 2%
Neither - 9%
This despite the fact that Bush's approval is up to 52-45.
I'll post Howard Dean approval ratings in another diary.