It's one of the most divided polls of the New Mexican public you'll ever see. Overall, President Bush merits the approval of 45% of us while 50% turn thumbs down. But the big story continues to be the great divide shown in the numbers released this week by Survey USA. (600 adults +-4.1% from 6-10-6-12) A whopping 58% of Anglos give the Prez praise, while 60% of Hispanics diss his job performance. And how about the gender gap? It's alive and well. Fifty one percent of male New Mexicans say Bush is OK, but 57% of women say W is not their man. Will Bush go lower? It all depends on his own party. A whopping 83% of NM R's approve of Bush, a stunning number in light of his overall poor showing and the number that is preventing him from going into freefall. Meanwhile, a nearly identical percentage of NM Dems, 78%, pan the Prez. It's also bad news for Bush among NM Independents, many of them of a conservative tilt. Sixty three percent of them disapprove of his job performance. It's been called a cliché to say America is divided politically, but these New Mexico numbers clearly show it's not hype.

BIG BILL AT THE GATE

You never know. The GOP says it's an out of touch fantasy, but Big Bill's run for the White House isn't being completely dismissed by those who put their money where their mouths are. Over at SportsInteraction.com the oddsmakers make our Guv a 13 to 1 shot to win the big prize in 08'. Hillary Clinton leads the betting pack going off at 5 to 1. The GOP's Giuliani is pegged at 7 to 1 by the smart money. The odds are not as long if you are going to bet Big Bill to take the Dem nomination, He's going out at 6 to 1 in that contest, but Hillary is again the top contender.

NO P? HOW ABOUT VEEP?

Of course, many of the politicos think Big Bill is actually seeking the Veep nod. And there's some spin in his direction in that regard at Americanthinker.com where they contend the Guv on the 04' ticket as Veep could have tipped Nevada, NM, and Colorado to Kerry, enough to give the senator the win. They base it on his appeal to Hispanic voters, something that remains untested on the national stage.

Staying with horse race trend today, let's take a look at the latest book on Dem Senator Jeff. The National Journal's take: "It looks like the GOP won't find a credible challenger to Bingaman, who is potentially vulnerable. This race could easily end up in snoozerville before the year is out."

And while we're on the Hill let's touch base with GOP Senator Pete. "Every day I get up I pray to God that Pete Domenici is alive." So memos one Pete worshipper as the fallout from our Monday Clovis blog continued. Pete was chided in that edition for being behind the curve on the possible closing of Cannon Air Force Base. But the true believers, as witnessed by that email, are not shaken, The legend of Saint Pete lives on. I'll bet my pajamas on it.

MORE POTLUCK

Do you have time for one more? Good. It's from down Artesia way in SE NM. "Joe, it appears that Glen Collier (former Eddy County Commissioner) is stepping up to run for Artesia Mayor which is being vacated by Daniel Reyes who was appointed by Big Bill to fill a vacant Magistrate Judge position. It's also thought that City Council Mayor Pro Tem Madrid is going to run as well." Thanks Gator. Keep us posted from oil country.

Ready to celebrate the Fourth? Veteran ABQ PR man Tom Garrity is after putting out fires and positive vibes for the state senate Dems in the last Legislative session. You can thank him for this green chile cheeseburger recipe via the Food Network. Now that's a New Mexican Fourth. Thanks Tom.

And thanks to you for joining me today. I hope you and yours have a great holiday weekend. I'll join you on vacation. Meanwhile, it's great to be an American and a New Mexican. May it ever be so. Oops, almost forgot. Here's one of my funniest recent e-mails to send you on your holiday. It's from a would-be Alligator. "Joe, please don't quote me on any of this. I'm not ready to come out of the swamp."

Happy Birthday America!

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2005
Not for reproduction without permission of the author