Gallup finds that people generally approve of President Obama’s handling of the stimulus bill.

These findings, based on Gallup Poll interviews conducted Feb. 6-7, underscore the degree to which Obama appears to be maintaining the upper hand over his opponents from a public opinion perspective as he and congressional leaders wrangle over the precise form and substance of a new economic stimulus plan. (Recent Gallup polling also shows that a slight majority of Americans in general favor the idea of passing a stimulus plan of around $800 billion, a sentiment that has stayed constant over the last several weeks.)…

In addition, 51% of the people polled felt that passing the stimulus bill was critically important, with another 29% saying that it was important but not critical. Only 16% felt it was not that important. Not that this will stop the Republicans from obstructing this legislation as much as they can, but it should give them pause.