Washington: US President Barack Obama
gets better marks for his wartime leadership than his
stewardship of the sluggish economic recovery, a new opinion
poll found on Thursday.
The Quinnipiac University survey found that 49 per
cent of voters approved of Obama's handling of the war in
Afghanistan, and 53 per cent overall back the way he has acted
as commander in chief.
But voters disapprove of his handling of the
economy by a 56 to 39 per cent margin, which is line with
other recent polls showing Obama's political position
diminished after months of grim economic news.
Only 44 per cent of those asked, approved of the
job Obama was doing overall, compared to 47 per cent who
disapproved.
But there is fresh hope for Obama revealed by the
poll which finds that Americans appear to have high regard for
his character.
Some 59 per cent said he had strong leadership
qualities and 55 per cent say he is honest, an impression that
may help the president rebuild his political power base should
Democrats tumble to defeat in November's mid-term elections.
"The good news for President Barack Obama is that
his standing with the American people hasn't deteriorated
further," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the
Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"The bad news is that he remains at his record low
levels and the November elections are right around the corner.
"And a Democrat who gets better grades as
commander-in-chief than he does on the economy is an anomaly."
The poll was conducted during a period in which
Obama gave an address from the Oval Office formally announcing
the end of US combat operations in Iraq.
It also revealed that voters feel 58 to 33 per cent
that eliminating terrorists operating from Afghanistan is a
goal for which Americans troops should fight and possibly die.
The survey was conducted between August 31 and
September 7, among 1,905 registered voters with a margin of
error of plus or minus 2.3 per cent.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, September 09, 2010, 23:45