For weeks we've been wondering whether the clear improvement in the public view of the war in Iraq might lead to improvement in the president's job approval rating. According to Gallup's latest poll, the view of the president improved consistently throughout November, and is now closing in on 40 percent--a mark not seen in more than a year:

A new Gallup Poll, conducted Dec. 6-9, finds 37% of Americans approving of the job George W. Bush is doing as president, an improvement from his recent scores in the low 30s. Meanwhile, 22% of Americans approve of Congress, essentially unchanged from last month. Both Bush's and Congress' ratings remain low by historical standards.

In early November, 31% of Americans approved of Bush as president -- just two points off his term-low rating of 29%. Since then, his rating has improved on each Gallup Poll, and although none of these individual changes have been statistically significant, the long-term increase from 31% in early November to 37% in the new poll is.

What can Congress do to change its low approval rating? Well, refusing to fund the war on terror is bound to lead to a shift of some sort.