[steve86]

Fair traditionally is used more like the term mediocre, as in "medium quality or commonplace".

From definition of fair from dictionary.com:

"Moderately good; Acceptable or satisfactory; gave only a fair performance of the play; in fair health".

Fair often has about the same meaning as the phrase "damning with faint praise".

Certainly not an unqualified positive endorsement.

[Dane]

Certainly not an unqualified positive endorsement

Also not certainly an unqualified negative endorsement either.

[zencat]

Gallup has Bush approval between 58-60%. Zogby has it at 45% but counts "fair" as disapproval. So 13%-15% of people believe Bush is doing a fair job. Add that to to the approval rating in this poll, and subtract from the negative. That should get you closer to the real numbers.

The poll is garbage designed to give the sensationalist liberal media something to talk about.