A Special Weekly Report From The Wall Street Journal's Capital Bureau
[The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll]</br></br>WAR AND RECESSION don't shake Americans' belief the U.S. is on track.</br></br>Seven of 10 say the nation is "headed in the right direction" in a poll for The Wall Street Journal and NBC News, hardly changed from the record 72% who said so in a pre-Sept. 11 survey. "It's a remarkable finding," says Republican Robert Teeter, who conducts the poll with Democrat Peter Hart. Both hail Americans' "perspective" amid tumult.</br></br>Bush enjoys "a majority coalition," Teeter says. The president's job approval remains high at 85%, and 80% have positive views of him personally. Even 72% of Democrats approve of his performance; 61% have a positive view of him.</br></br>Congress scores higher, too: 57% approve of the job it is doing.