I'll give you one more reason why he's down in the polls. Every time he decides to fight back when this kind of nonsense occurs (like the NYT's latest treason) his numbers jump. People like and admire a man who will stick up for himself, his country, and what we stand for.
If he'd like to see his numbers climb to the top, he should come out swinging against the NYT, against the pooh-poohers who are saying the new terrorist bust is nothing, against the people who insist on convicting our troops before they've even completed gathering all of the evidence. If he did that, if he showed 1/10th the passion he showed just after 9/11, there would be no ceiling for his poll numbers.
W is falling into the same trap his father did. He is trying to appease people who hate him.