NEW YORK -- By August 2003, California Gov. Gray Davis' approval rating had plunged to 22 percent. Two months later, he lost a special recall election.

Now it's President George W. Bush's turn to take a drubbing. The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds that only 37 percent of Americans think he's doing a good job, a record low for him and a dangerous drop below the historical benchmark of 40 percent.

"When a president falls below 40 percent approval in public opinion polls -- as President Bush has done twice in the past two months -- it's usually a sign of serious political danger," writes Richard Benedetto in USA Today.