The Obama Diary

CBS: President Obama’s overall job approval rating has risen in a new CBS News Poll, showing 3 percent more Americans feel he’s doing a good job than did a month earlier.

According to the survey conducted by phone between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2, 48 percent of Americans approve of Mr. Obama’s job handling, up from 45 percent in November.

Approval among independents has risen, also, from 40 percent last month to 45 percent now.

Americans also seem more optimistic about the country’s economic outlook than they have been for months. According to the new poll, 31 percent believe the economy is getting better, the highest number since April.

A whopping 82 percent said they favor the idea of the U.S. and Russia coming to an agreement to limit nuclear weapons, a huge show of support for the Obama administration’s push to have Congress ratify the new START treaty, which is being held up by Congressional Republicans. Only 12 percent of those questioned in the latest CBS News Poll said they were against such a treaty.