Much has been made of President George W. Bush's low approval ratings. But Congress, based on leading polls, fares even worse in the eyes of the public.

In several leading national opinion polls conducted this month, Bush scored approval ratings ranging from 26 percent to 34 percent. The same polls show Congress' approval ratings slightly lower, at 23 percent to 27 percent.

Clearly, Americans are ready for a change in the White House. But they also are fed up with Congress.

After successfully campaigning against the real and perceived failures of the Republican-run Congress in the 2006 elections, Democrats took over control early this year but have failed to impress the public. To most observers, it's more of the same: some talk of reform and solving the nation's problems, but precious little to show for it in terms of results.

Americans are increasingly frustrated with politicians locked into partisan ideology and slavishly serving their constituents — who supply them with critical campaign funds to help them continue to get re-elected.

Given the public's increasing frustration with the two major political parties, the window of opportunity for a third-party presidential candidate appears to be open. And in the past week or so, there has been much speculation that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering a run — despite his denials.

On the surface, at least, Bloomberg would be an intriguing candidate for president. Last week, he fueled speculation about a White House run when he dropped his Republican affiliation. A lifelong Democrat, Bloomberg registered as a Republican in 2001 as part of his strategy in running for mayor of New York.

As a self-made billionaire, Bloomberg has the ability to finance his own campaign, and with that ability he can avoid the seemingly endless campaign fundraising events that other candidates are forced to attend. With that advantage, Bloomberg can wait until after the primaries when the two major candidates have been chosen before he decides whether or not to run.

As mayor of New York, Bloomberg has won praise as a non-ideological problem solver. And that is precisely what millions of Americans, who do not align themselves with the far Right or far Left, desperately want to see in the White House.

Bloomberg has another advantage in not having a long record in public office. He does not have a voting record in Congress that can be mined for controversial positions or flip-flops — as do most of the other candidates.

In recent years, governors have beat out members of Congress in reaching the White House. This pattern is based on the theory that governors function as a state's chief executive officer and know how to get things done. Though not a governor, Bloomberg's role as mayor of New York City would have to be considered more challenging than all but a few governorships.

Columnist JohnBaer of the Philadelphia Daily News sees lots to like in the mayor, quoting Bloomberg as saying, "We continue to struggle from big problem to big problem with Band-Aids... nobody is ready to stand up and make the tough decisions. Good ideas should take precedence over rigid adherence to any particular political ideology."

Most career politicians and members of Congress would have to plead guilty as charged by Bloomberg. If he can cast himself as the antidote to the status quo, he might well have broad appeal — trumping traditional party alliances for millions of Americans fed up with the status quo, whether Demo-crats or Republicans are in charge.

The reality is that the two dominant parties over the years have ensured that a third-party candidacy is difficult to mount. Most commentators suggest a Bloomberg candidacy would fare no better than others run by Ross Perot or John Anderson. But despite the system being stacked against him, the political climate today suggests that Bloomberg and the American people might see an opportunity to really change the way Washington works.

Bloomberg's entry into the 2008 presidential race might give voters just what they are looking for — a refreshing alternative to all the other traditional candidates.