Ratings Reverse

And now some fresh pickings from the political grapevine:

Ratings Reverse

With the Democrats beating up on the president day after day, President Bush's job approval is slipping. A new poll shows Americans now evenly split, with 47 percent approving and 47 percent disapproving.

One month ago, 58 percent approved. And on the economy, only 42 percent now approve of the job Mr. Bush is doing, down 10 points from last month.

That poll from the American Research Group (search) also shows that -- in a head-to-head challenge -- President Bush has a slight edge over an unnamed Democratic opponent ... but that when asked about a match up with John Kerry in particular, Kerry wins by one point. What's more, among independents, Kerry wins by a margin of 55 to 39 percent.

Straight Shooter Joe Lieberman

The Arizona Republic newspaper is urging Democrats to vote for Joe Lieberman (search) in Tuesday's primary because, the paper says, he is "the one candidate that embodies the ideals and issues central to the successful Arizona Democrats this newspaper has strongly supported over the years."

Lieberman, the paper continues, is "a straight shooter who knows his own mind and doesn't need a dozen pollsters to set his course."

That "is" a good thing, because according to the latest poll in Arizona, Lieberman has only 7 percent of the Democratic vote, 17 points behind the leader. In another poll, he's 32 points behind.

Too Dangerous?

Over Christmas, some Italian observers expected Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (search) to visit Italian troops in Iraq, especially since 19 had recently been killed there from a single attack. Berlusconi "was" out of sight for a month, but did not go to Iraq --- because he had a facelift ... and was still recovering.

Besides, Berlusconi told reporters that the armed forces told him it was just too dangerous to go. That was only a few weeks after President Bush's trip to Iraq, and just before British Prime Minister Tony Blair's trip there.

Evolution Evicted

The Georgia state schools superintendent is removing all references to "evolution" in the state's curriculum, calling it "a buzzword that causes a lot of negative reaction." Superintendent Kathy Cox, quoted by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, says she is just trying to "ensure that our kids are getting a quality science education." Concepts related to evolution -- such as natural selection and adaptation will now be taught as -- "biological changes over time."

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report