Today, the politics of Afghanistan are Obama’s problem, and what he said during the campaign now gives him much less room to maneuver in Afghanistan, especially politically.

A Zogby Interactive poll of nearly 2,300 likely voters conducted Nov. 4-6 reinforces the dilemma Obama now faces with Afghanistan.

Read John Zogby’s column at Forbes.com that discusses the latest public opinion on the War in Afghanistan and finds several similarities to the Vietnam War.

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So what did we learn from Tuesday’s elections? And what lessons should Democrats and Republicans draw from the results?

The big races resulted in Republican wins in the gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia, and the first win by a Democrat this century for the Congressional district that comprises most of northern New York State.

Read all of John Zogby’s take on Tuesday’s elections at Forbes.com.

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This may be an off-year election, but two governor’s races and one congressional district are making national news. From my perspective, there will be three themes coming out of Tuesday’s governor races in New Jersey and Virginia, and the election to fill a vacant House seat in northern New York state.

First, most elections are seen as a referendum on the president, and that’s especially true for Barack Obama, who in his first year in office is taking up major issues. Second, two of the races, for New Jersey governor and New York’s 23rd Congressional District seat, include third-party candidates, and how well they do will have significance. Third, the congressional election is splitting the national Republican Party, with some big names in the GOP backing the third-party candidate.

Read all of John Zogby’s thoughts on next week’s elections at Forbes.com.

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Every week, John Zogby grades the performance of President Barack Obama for U.S. News and World Report. Read the full report card by clicking on the quote below.

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After many months of talking about health care legislation, Congress now moves to the real action phase. But don’t expect the arguments to end when a bill is passed.

Democrats want voters to believe that their plan will achieve their set goals, and our recent polling shows large majorities of voters believe those goals are important. Republicans will continue raising fears about what reform might reap, and our polling also shows a majority of voters share the doubts expressed by Republicans. So expect a whirlwind that will pick up intensity the closer we get to the 2010 midterm election.

Read all of John Zogby’s analysis of this recent polling data on healthcare reform at Forbes.com.

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In every crowd, there is always one person that everybody else sees as just lucky. In my neighborhood, that was a boy named Eddie. He was from Brooklyn and only lived in my hometown of Utica, N.Y., long enough to gain that reputation for good fortune.

After he pitched a no-hitter and hit a home run in a Little League game, we dismissed his achievements by saying that the other team was lousy, and that the wind carried his home run over the fence. Our coach would have none of our guff, so he sat us down and said that Eddie did what he did, because he is obviously a talented baseball player. We needed to get over our envy and move on. The same can be said of all those who are now griping about Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

Read all of John Zogby’s thoughts on Obama winning the Peace Prize at Forbes.com.

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Every week, John Zogby grades the performance of President Barack Obama for U.S. News and World Report. Read the full report card by clicking on the quote below.

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When Barack Obama took office in January, Zogby Interactive polling found evidence that voters were willing to give him time to have a positive impact on the economy. Even now, the number of voters who blame the Bush administration for ongoing job losses is greater than those who believe the losses since January are Obama’s responsibility.

However, white middle-class voters are more likely than others to hold Obama responsible, and that spells potential trouble for Democrats in the 2010 Congressional election. Democrats and Republicans will strategize over the next 12 months about how to convince these voters that they will do a better job of providing job security.

Read John Zogby’s complete column at Forbes.com.

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Every week, John Zogby grades the performance of President Barack Obama for U.S. News and World Report. Read the full report card by clicking on the quote below.

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President Barack Obama has rebounded from a dismal summer, and he and his party are poised to pass a comprehensive health care reform bill, something that has not been done since Lyndon Johnson’s Medicare legislation more than 40 years ago.

Our latest Zogby Interactive poll measuring Obama’s job approval among likely voters has him back over 50% for the first time since the spring. He has won back some Independents, and now 47% give Obama their approval. Obama’s level of support among the party base of liberals, the 18- to 29-year-old “First Globals” and all African-Americans suffered in August when they felt he was not taking charge of health care reform. But now, most all of them are back on board.

Read all of John Zogby’s column at Forbes.com, where he writes about the political dangers of healthcare reform for both parties.

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