President Barack Obama still has support from the majority of American people despite growing pessimism about the direction of the country.

From Yahoo.com News

Obama’s approval rating stands at 54 percent, roughly the same as in October but very different from the enthusiastic 74 percent in January just before he took office. And some 56 percent of people say the country is heading in the wrong direction, an uptick from 51 percent last month and 49 percent in Obama’s first month as president.

The economy is by far the most important issue on Americans’ minds. Unemployment hit 10.2 percent last month even though the administration has promoted glimmers of improvement and many economists say the recession is over.

Those jobless figures help explain why as many people said the economy got worse in the past month as said it got better — and it’s not many people who thought it got better, just 22 percent. Most say the economy stayed the same, and just 46 percent approve of how Obama is handling the economy, compared with 50 percent last month.

“He did good on getting Wall Street up and running. But I’m not going,” said independent Jay Huffaker, 33, of Knoxville, Tenn., a construction worker who has been unemployed for a year and a half. The country is in terrible shape, he said, adding, “It seems like it’s getting worse and worse and worse and worse.”

The nation also has grown more lukewarm on Obama and the wars as he tries to wind down the one in Iraq and considers ramping up the one in Afghanistan.

Compared with October, 45 percent of people now disapprove of Obama’s handling of Iraq, up from 37 percent; while 48 percent now disapprove of his handling of Afghanistan, up from 41 percent. A majority of Americans oppose both wars. And more than half — 54 percent — now oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan, an increase from 50 percent last month.

“We either need to do something to win the wars, or just come home,” said Republican Heather Johannessen, a stay-at-home mom in the suburbs of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, who thinks the U.S. is in a holding pattern in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a move that would inflate the cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a whopping $947 billion, the Obama administration is seeking another $83.4 billion for military efforts over the next five months. Democratic congressional sources said Thursday that roughly three-quarters of the $864 billion allocated for the conflicts so far have gone to fighting in Iraq. Obama has said the situation in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan “demands urgent attention.” In submitting his funding request, Obama said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “The Taliban is resurgent, and al Qaeda threatens America from its safe haven along the Afghan-Pakistan border. There is no question of the resolve of our military women and men. Yet, in Afghanistan, that resolve has not been matched by a comprehensive strategy and sufficient resources.” Most of the money, about $75 billion worth, would go toward military operations – including $9.8 billion for body armor and protective vehicles and $11.6 billion to replace worn-out equipment. “The rest would go to diplomatic programs and development aid — including $1.6 billion for Afghanistan, $1.4 billion for Pakistan and $700 million for Iraq,” CNN reports.

Obama: ‘We Will Recover’ The president opened his news conference with a clear message to the American people: “We will recover from this recession,”  but it will take time. Read more.

Clarence Thomas visits an old theme: Affirmative action is bad.

There’s one undeniable fact about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas: He’s consistent. On Tuesday, speaking before an audience of Black-college presidents, the ultra-conservative justice, who was appointed by President G. H. Bush following the death of Thurgood Marshall, hammered home one of his favorite themes – that affirmative action is unconstitutional. Read more of what he said at BET.com/News. Nation’s top educator is canned in Miami. Rudy Crew, who just seven short months ago was lauded as the No. 1 school superintendent in America, was canned amid charges that his action within Miami-Dade County schools didn’t quite match the rhetoric. Find out more at BET.com/News.

Bring That Week Back!

Da Brat (above) may face jail time, Wesley Snipes is order to pay the court, and protesters heckle presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. Catch those and all the other top stories affecting Black America this week here.