PRINCETON, NJ -- According to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted this past weekend, less than half of the American public believes former senior White House aide I. Lewis Libby Jr. did anything illegal in the matter for which he was indicted; a majority says the controversy involving him is an isolated incident rather than symptomatic of low ethics at the White House; and there is little shift in the already low opinion ratings of the players closely associated with this controversy, including ratings of presidential adviser Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney. President George W. Bush's job approval rating has also not changed compared with polling conducted a week ago.

Given the potential for a scandal of this magnitude to undermine support for the administration, it is worth noting that Republicans tend to stand by the administration when answering questions concerning the controversy over Libby's role in leaking a CIA operative's name to the press two years ago (while Democrats, predictably, do not).

Clearly, most Americans believe Libby did something wrong in connection with the case concerning the alleged outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. While Libby was not charged with any crimes specific to the leak per se, he was indicted on five felony counts concerning the truthfulness of statements he made to FBI agents and of his testimony before the grand jury hearing the case. Albeit a plurality, fewer than half (45%) believe Libby's actions in the case were illegal, while 31% say they were unethical but not illegal. Only 8% say he did nothing wrong.

These results vary considerably by party, as only 28% of Republicans, but 56% of Democrats, consider Libby's actions illegal.

As you may know, a special prosecutor has investigated the leak of the name of a CIA employee by White House officials. On Friday, a grand jury indicted Lewis Libby on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. From what you have heard or read about Libby's involvement in this matter, which of the following statements best describes your view of his actions -- [ROTATED: he did something illegal, he did something unethical but nothing illegal, or he did not do anything seriously wrong]?

Despite much speculation that Libby's indictment will deepen public skepticism of Bush and spell the political unraveling of his administration, the initial reaction of Americans appears to downplay the matter's significance. Only 38% of Americans say the charges are a sign that "the Bush administration in general has low ethical standards." The majority, 56%, say the charges are "based on an isolated incident."

A majority of independents agree with most Republicans that the controversy stands alone, while most Democrats contend the charges are symptomatic that the Bush administration itself is corrupt.

Do you think these charges are a sign that the Bush administration in general has low ethical standards, or do you think these charges are based on an isolated incident?

(An ABC News/Washington Post poll released this past weekend contained a question suggesting that the scandal does cast a broader shadow over the administration. However, the ABC News/Washington Post question sets a lower threshold, asking whether the Libby case indicates "broader problems with ethical wrongdoing in the Bush administration." With this wording, ABC News and the Washington Post found 55% saying the case does indicate broader problems, while 41% say it is an isolated incident.)

Bush Approval Is Steady

A key indicator of the Libby case's political impact is President Bush's overall job approval rating. According to the Oct. 28-30 poll, Bush's job approval remains exactly where it was in a poll conducted Oct. 24-26, just before Libby's indictment on Friday, and is statistically similar to two other polls conducted in the weeks before that. Forty-one percent of Americans now approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president, identical to the 41% who approved in a survey just before the indictments, and the same as his average rating spanning four Gallup Polls conducted this month.

At 41%, Bush's average approval rating for October is down compared with where it stood in September and August (44%), but Gallup's detailed October polling makes it clear that Bush's current job approval situation has not yet changed as a result of the Libby indictments. Bush's job approval ratings are at the low point of his administration, continuing a pattern of sagging approval ratings for him that has been evident since the start of the year. However, the events of the past week apparently have not pushed his ratings down further.

The weekend poll also does not support the hypothesis that the Plame controversy per se has hurt perceptions of Bush on other dimensions. Bush's ratings as being an effective manager of government, being honest and trustworthy, and being a strong leader have dropped since the summer. But trend data show the last two measures are statistically no different from September, suggesting again that Bush's image has been damaged in recent months, but not necessarily damaged further by the indictments.

Since July, those saying Bush can manage government effectively and that he is a strong and decisive leader each declined by 10 points. Over the same period, perceptions that he is honest and trustworthy dropped by only 5 points.

The result is that today, a slim majority of Americans say Bush is a strong and decisive leader (52% vs. 47%). Americans are evenly divided over whether Bush is honest and trustworthy (49% say this applies, while 48% say it does not). A majority now disagrees that he can manage the government effectively (56% vs. 43%).

Libby, Rove, and Cheney

Public reaction to Cheney's former chief of staff Libby is decidedly negative. Only 10% of Americans view Libby favorably (he resigned Friday shortly after the indictments were announced). Close to half (43%) hold an unfavorable view, but a roughly equal number, 47%, have no opinion of him. This is the first time Gallup has asked the public about this previously behind-the-scenes White House figure.

Although Rove has been, and remains, under investigation for his role in the Plame affair, Gallup finds only modest change in public attitudes toward him since these were first measured in July. His favorable rating has held steady at 24%, while his unfavorable rating has inched up slightly from 34% in July to 39% in mid-October and 40% today.

Last week it was reported that Cheney himself may have been Libby's source for Plame's identity, raising questions about his role in coordinating the leak of her name. Thus far it does not appear that Cheney's image has been hurt further by the revelation. The weekend poll finds little change in favorable ratings of Cheney compared with mid-October. About 4 in 10 have a favorable view of him, while half hold an unfavorable view. These ratings are slightly more negative, however, than those recorded in June. At that time, 48% had a favorable view of Cheney and 44% unfavorable.

Where Is It Headed?

The weekend poll asked Americans how well they understand the Libby case. About two-thirds say they understand it very (22%) or somewhat (46%) well, while about one-third (31%) say they don't understand it very well or don't understand it at all.

Those who present themselves as knowledgeable about the case -- saying they understand it "very well" -- tend to be much more critical than others about the seriousness of the charges and the broader implications for the Bush administration. Whether this is an indication that public opinion will grow more critical as the facts become better known, or whether it merely reflects the somewhat higher proportion of Democrats among those highly familiar with the case, is not clear.