Popularity contest

During his final White House correspondents’ dinner Saturday evening, President Obama made a funny about his presidential approval rating. “The last time I was this high, I was trying to decide on my major,” he quipped. The president delivered with aplomb a number of great zingers during the evening. All joking aside, Gallup reports that his approval rating hit a three-year high of 53 percent. His predecessor, George W. Bush, left office with a 22 percent approval rating. Considering just 14 percent of Republicans approve of Obama’s job performance, if trends on his approval hold for the roughly 10 months left in his presidency, he’ll exit with what’s considered an impressive popularity record.