Behold this observation, offered in the comments pages the other day in the wake of this weblog's 4000th post:

... I'd like to be suprised more. You can read the title of the post, see who wrote it, and be 99% certain what's going to be said and which snarks we'll see. It would be nice to see posts that talk about new things beyond the usual hobby-horses of abortion, Meacham and Quinn, sports, and gays.

-- Joe

I am sure that this will be a perfect example of a predictable GetReligion post, with my name at the top to warn readers as to its subject material (that, and the attached art). So, yes, you have been warned.

I searched and searched for a well-rounded mainstream news report on that new USA Today/Gallup poll on the early fortunes of the Obama White House and this was the shallow, predictable, result on a National Journal-linked site:

A new poll from USA Today/Gallup says nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults approve of Pres. Obama's job performance, while just a quarter disapprove. The survey, conducted 1/30-2/1, shows 64% approve of Obama's handling his job as POTUS so far, and 25% disapprove. About the same proportion, 22%, believe Obama is moving too fast in addressing the major problems facing the U.S.; one in 10 say he is not moving fast enough, and 63% say he is moving at about the right pace.

The new POTUS has spent considerable time during his first two weeks in office pitching his $800B+ economic stimulus plan, which the House approved last week. Three-quarters of adults believe Congress should pass Obama's plan, although about half of those think it should be passed only after "major changes" are made. Another 17% believe the package should be rejected outright.

Still, approximately four in five adults are concerned it would not stimulate the economy quickly enough; 39% are "very concerned" and another 39% are "somewhat concerned" about recovery pace. What's more, 85% believe the U.S. will have to wait until '10 or later to see economic improvements as a result of Obama's stimulus package.

You can see pretty much the same terrain covered in this CNN mini-story.

Clearly, it is interesting to note that President Barack Obama is off to a strong start, on most issues he has faced. This is also not surprising, in light of his soaring popularity. However, wouldn't it also be interesting to know something about the issues on which this very, very popular president has already received low marks? I mean, that would be the odd note in this pleasing chord and, thus, the news?

You may also want to look at the actual Gallup report.

Did you see anything interesting? Where is the new president off to a slow start, according to this early poll?

If you noticed that final line, then you must be the kind of person who seeks out "conservative" news, as opposed to "real" news. You know, you must be the kind of person who visits alternative news sites, like this one, this one, this one, this one or this one. The same basic information is also, of course, found at (cue: drum roll) Fox News, where we read:

Fifty-eight percent of Americans said they disagreed with the president's decision to give overseas funding to family planning organizations that provide abortions, according to the survey taken between Friday and Sunday. Thirty-five percent supported it.

Obama signed an order Jan. 23 reversing the "Mexico City policy" -- a prohibition first implemented by Ronald Reagan, which forbade the U.S. government from sending money to overseas family-planning organizations that perform abortions or offer abortion counseling. The ban, which was lifted when Bill Clinton took office, was later re-established by George W. Bush in 2001.

Alas, I guess this is a predictable hole in the mainstream coverage. And it is also very predictable that I would -- as a pro-life Democrat -- point this hole out to GetReligion readers. Sorry 'bout that.