A USA Today/Gallup survey suggested that six months into his presidency, his popularity was lower than George W Bush's at the same stage of his tenure. Amid rising unemployment and falling confidence in his economic plans, Mr Obama's job approval rating has dropped by nine points since January to 55 per cent, a point below his predecessor in mid-2001. Other polls by ABC News and the Washington Post also showed Mr Obama's job approval falling below 60 per cent for the first time since he was sworn in as the nation's first black president, with a marked drop in the...