Feel free to feign surprise at the following news item from the Washington Post:

New Congress Is More Trusted Than President

Americans trust Democratic lawmakers more than President Bush to handle the nation’s toughest problems, including the Iraq war, and a quarter of Republicans are glad that Democrats have won control of Congress, a Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.

At the same time, however, most Americans want lawmakers and the president to work together rather than pursue separate agendas. They also have modest hopes about how much the new Congress will be able to accomplish.

The degree to which congressional leaders can sustain and capitalize on initial goodwill is questionable, because the No. 1 issue for most Americans is perhaps the most difficult for Congress and the White House: Iraq. Forty-four percent of respondents said the Iraq war is the most important problem facing the government, easily eclipsing the economy — the top concern for 10 percent — and health care, No. 1 for 6 percent.

Asked whether they trusted Bush or Democrats in Congress “to do a better job coping with the main problems the nation faces,” 57 percent of the respondents said congressional Democrats and 31 percent said Bush. When the question was broken down to specific problems, such as Iraq, the economy, immigration and the “war on terrorism,” Democrats held clear majorities over Bush. Their lead was overwhelming in the area of health care: 64 percent to Bush’s 26 percent. [full text]

It’s not just Democratic lawmakers that are viewed as more trustworthy than President Bush. Here’s an abbreviated list of some other groups and individuals that made the cut:

• The law firm of Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe
• The Amazing Kreskin
• Milli Vanilli
• La Cosa Nostra
• Jon Lovitz (as Tommy Flanagan)
• Mr. Potter (from It’s A Wondeful Life)