Questions to ask yourself ... and others.

What do these two stories have in common?

NEW YORK — Americans are giving bad grades all around. President Bush’s job approval rating now stands at 31 percent, the lowest ever in the FOX News poll, and almost twice as many Americans say they disapprove of the president’s job performance.

And this...

Giants outfielder Barry Bonds overcame a 119,000-vote deficit in the final days of balloting and finished 123,000 votes ahead of Alfonso Soriano on Sunday to claim the third and final starting outfield spot for the National League. In a vote taken to determine how many people want to see Bonds pass Henry Aaron turned up 52 percent against, so one man's poll is another man's poison.

Two men reviled for different reasons, one is the most powerful man in the world and the other is grabbing headlines and money while breaking the most cherished record in sports.

Barry Bonds earned $106 million in the last 6 years, after completing a 5-year $90 million dollar contract. President Bush earns ... makes ... a quarter of a million a year for doing ... what, exactly?

OK, I'll tell you what the stories have in common, since it's the weekend and none of us wants to think too much.

Barry Bonds overcame a 119,000 vote deficit, some would say, because a computer geek in San Francisco figured out a way to have 36,000 votes counted for every one cast.

George W. Bush was elected because someone at Diebold figured out how to rig the machines so that the world's biggest boob could be elected to the world's highest office.

In both cases, people who are reviled and disrespected by those who follow their respective "sports" have risen to the highest level of their industries. Ask yourself, how is it that two people who are universally reviled by the general public could possibly hold such important and influential positions in their professions?

Sometimes, you have to cheat. 'Cause, if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying.