Modest Backing for Israel in Gaza Crisis; No Desire for Greater U.S. Role - Americans have a mixed view of the war in the Gaza Strip, and see it in much the same way as they viewed Israel's conflict with Hezbollah in 2006. 

Support for Government Services Is Substantially Higher than It Was in 2005 - A new study finds that public support for government services is substantially higher than it was in 2005. However, the level of support varies greatly from service to service. 

As Senate Hearings Begin, Hillary Clinton’s Image Soars - A new Gallup Poll finds 65% of Americans saying they have a favorable opinion of Hillary Clinton, the highest rating for her in almost 10 years. 

Bush Presidency Closes With 34% Approval, 61% Disapproval - Those ratings are a shade better than what Bush has received for most of the past year, and may represent the kind of lame-duck approval bounce Gallup has seen for other presidents 

Majority Rates Bush as One of America’s Worst Presidents - …Republicans aren’t much help to the retiring 62-year-old GOP president. While predictably 81% of Democrats rate Bush as one of the five worst presidents, so do 20% of Republicans. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans (65%) put Bush in the somewhere-in-between category, while only 11% say he was one of the five best chief executives.