Barack Obama's aides admit errors are making him less popular

Telegraph UK By Tim Shipman in Washington His staff are being warned to get a firmer grip now he has passed the 50-day mark in the White House, and prevent a repeat of the mistakes that marred the last seven weeks. A White House official last week passed details to The Sunday Telegraph of Mr Obama's desire to avoid a repeat of such errors as the inept handling of Gordon Brown's recent visit to Washington. The concession came as allies of Mr Obama have begun breaking cover to question his performance and leadership on the economic meltdown and public diplomacy. A new poll revealed that the president's personal approval ratings have slumped to levels below those of George W. Bush at the same stage of his first term, undermining the common assumption that Mr Obama is enjoying unusual levels of public popularity. The Rasmussen survey found that Mr Obama enjoys the confidence of just 56 per cent of voters, with 43 per cent who do not have confidence and a third strongly disapproving of his early performance. snip A source close to Mr Obama's top team telephoned this newspaper last week to say that White House officials now regard it as "a mistake" to have returned the bust of Winston Churchill that the British government loaned George W. Bush - a story first reported by The Sunday Telegraph - and then to have sent the prime minister home with a gift of 25 DVDs after his visit to Washington. "Clearly it was a mistake, and they want people to know that they know that," the source said. "There is a collective desire to learn from the experience. They pride themselves on attention to detail. They didn't have their eye on the ball... they all know they've got to do better." Click title for full article