Is there still a pony in there somewhere?

The rug in the Oval Office may say "optimistic person comes to work," but that's about the only place you'll find an American with such a sunny outlook on life these days. In a new AP-Ipsos Poll, just 21 percent of Americans say that things in their country are headed in the right direction -- the lowest percentage the poll has measured since it began in 2003.

In the same poll, the president's approval rating stands at 32 percent, which matches the lowest number AP-Ipsos has ever reported for George W. Bush.