Let's not get carried away. Mid 40s is still lousy. (47, 44, 45 whatever, all are within each other's slop, statistically) The comments weren't meant to explain why Bush is so universally loved by all mankind everywhere and regarded as a hero of the people, as he clearly isn't. They were meant as speculation as to why he's slowly gaining approval from the dismal (almost Tony Blairish) approvals he had only a few months ago. I'll stand by my prediciton that he'll finish his second term above 50. Stranger things have happened. His predecessor managed even to bounce back from an impeachment and finish his second term at around 60.
You can all make fun of me in January 2009 if I'm wrong. 
I agree with angus, though I'd point out that the approval ratings for Bush's predecessor remained high during the impeachment drama.
