2008 Update: Slipping Big Three? - New Approval Ratings

The late February Presidential poll average shows my slightly preferred pick, Fmr. Gov. Romney (R-MA), sliding to fourth place, with Newt Gingrich (R-GA) in third. The spread:


RCP Average (02/19 - 02/28) Rudy: 36.6 McCain: 20.2 Mitt: 7.2 Newt: 10.8 Spread: Giuliani +16.4
The Democratic Congress' approval ratings haven't bounced any higher than Bush's, coming in a few points below his 36% approval at a 34% rate.

RCP Average

02/21 - 02/28

(A)34.0%

(D)52.3%

-18.3%

John Fund's weekly report to OpinionJournal claimed Romney nailed his Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) speech last weekend with a message "uniting fiscal, social, and defense conservatives." However, Giuliani also received a surprisingly positive response having his somewhat nervous speech (introduced by longtime conservative icon George F. Will) centered around conservative ideas from defense to school choice, but avoiding the issues of conflict (namely gun control and abortion).

I find myself ideologically aligned with Gingrich as much as any candidate, but electability remains a serious concern. I'm still waiting to see which of the conservative candidates--Romney, Gingrich, Huckabee (R-AR) or the extreme long-shots Brownback (R-KA) and Gilmore (R-VA)-- pulls ahead as the conservative front-runner. In his CPAC speech, Huckabee cracked the conference should be renamed the "Conservative Presidential Anxiety Conference" with a theme, "Dude, where's my candidate?"