11.   And he now has a vast credibility problem that may handicap his ability to govern effectively, which in turn could undercut his high job-performance approval ratings.

12.   And his approval ratings remain sky-high, even though he has explicitly warned that his reforms might produce several years of pain before Japan sees any gain.

13.   And both have pilloried Clinton, who still enjoys extremely high approval ratings among black voters here.

14.   And he can no longer rely on a strong economy or favorable approval ratings to dazzle the American public and members of his own party.

15.   And that is reason to celebrate for a president whose approval ratings have never been higher.

16.   And polls show Congress has the highest approval rating in a decade.

17.   And while his morals are deplored, his job approval ratings remain remarkably high for a president in the waning days of power.

18.   Any pollster worth his paycheck knows that political approval ratings are based almost entirely on economic concerns.

19.   Any clandestine deal-making at this stage is likely to split the Liberal Democratic party and further erode its already abysmal approval ratings.

20.   Approval ratings for the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori plunged to a record post-war low this week, according to a poll done by the Asahi Shimbun.