OBAMA APPROVAL – AT 8:51 P.M. ET:  Today's Rasmussen tracker shows some improvement for the president, but not as much as one might expect, considering the fact that Americans generally rally 'round the leader in times of stress: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 26% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -12...

...Overall, 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove.

COMMENT: Obama shows some strengthening in the "strongly approve, strongly disapprove" rating.  But the seven-point spread in overall approval/disapproval is pretty consistent with what we've seen in recent months. 

By Tuesday, Rasmussen will have done all his tracking in the days after the president's Tucson speech.  We'll check the numbers again.

January 15, 2010