Approval Rating Hits New Low for Obama

42 percent an all time low for the president in the NBC/WSJ poll

President Barack Obama's seemingly hands-off management style is raising fresh questions and concerns that could upend his second-term legacy.

Claims by the administration and other Democrats that Obama didn't know about sensitive matters in his own administration—such as problems with the health care website and revelations of National Security Agency surveillance on foreign leaders—have many in Washington scratching their heads.

It all fits as part of a pattern. Who is in control? Who is running things? There are a lot of questions," said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who helps conduct the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, which Wednesday showed Obama's approval rating dropping to an all-time low.