Poll: VP Biden's approval rating drops again

Vice President Joe Biden's favorability numbers have reached their lowest since before the 2008 presidential election, according to a new Gallup poll.

The vice president's approval rating has been on the decline since November, when it peaked at almost 60 percent. But Gallup's latest measure now pegs that rating at only 42 percent --  a six point drop since July of this year. Additionally, about 40 percent of surveyed voters even said they had an unfavorable view of the vice president -- an increase of about four points over the last four months.

Although Gallup is careful to note the entire Obama administration has taken a slight hit in favorability ratings since January, the pollster does point out a few historical breaks.

Most interesting: Biden's average approval rating is almost 20 points lower than Obama's average score. That disparity, however, marks quite a departure from the last two administrations, when Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney were only within a few points of their respective bosses during their first years in office.