Gallup tells us:

President Obama’s job approval rating slipped to 43% for the week of Aug. 16-22, down one percentage point from the previous weekly low set a week ago.

The new low also marks the first weekly average in which 50% of Americans disapprove of Obama’s job performance. The erosion reflects particularly low ratings at the beginning of last week, including 41% for Aug. 15-17 and Aug. 16-18, the lowest three-day averages of his administration. By the end of the week, however, Obama’s job ratings inched up, averaging 44% approval Aug. 20-22.

The president arrived at Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., on Thursday, settling in with his family for a 10-day vacation, and for the most part dropping out of the daily news cycle. Whether this contributed to his slightly better ratings near the end of the week cannot be determined.

Could it be that less is more, that Obama’s flood-the-zone media approach is precisely wrong? Maybe Americans, both on the right and left, are so annoyed with him that merely disappearing from the TV screen helps his standing.

Judging from how upset people are over the Ground Zero mosque, this makes sense. Unfortunately for Democrats on the ballot, sooner or later Obama will be back from vacation and omnipresent again. But it could be worse — he could give another Oval Office address. The last one, as you may remember, sent his ratings skidding and drove his supporters to distraction.