A new poll released Thursday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal shows that President Obama would handily defeat Republican Sarah Palin by 22 points--55 percent to 33 percent--in a hypothetical 2012 matchup for the presidency. The same poll also showed Obama beating Mitt Romney by 7 points (47 percent to 40 percent), and a generic Republican candidate like South Dakota Sen. John Thune by 20 points (47 percent to 27 percent).

The NBC/WSJ Poll also showed Obama's approval rating at 45 percent, which is slightly less than the 47 percent it was a year ago. A majority of respondents--72 percent--say they like Obama personally, even those who don't like or disagree with his policies.

From NBC's First Read: "Here's the clear conclusion from our new NBC/WSJ poll: If the current political environment for President Obama has hit rock bottom, then his prospects for re-election are quite good. If it hasn't, then watch out. Despite all the bad news the White House has endured over the past several months -- an unemployment rate near 10%, the BP spill, the midterm results -- the president's standing has remained steady."

According to First Read, Obama appears to be benefitting from his strong base and his likability.

Read more from First Read here.

Read the full NBC/Wall Street Journal poll here.