Bush gets 55 pct approval on security: poll

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fifty-five percent of Americans
approve of President George W. Bush’s handling of homeland
security, an 11 percent jump from May, according to a Newsweek
poll released on Saturday.

The poll was taken Thursday and Friday, after British
authorities foiled a plot to use chemical bombs to bring down
as many as 10 airliners flying from Britain to the United
States.

Bush’s approval rating rose to 38 percent, a 3-point
increase since Newsweek conducted its last poll in May.

Fifty-four percent of respondents said they would oppose a
ban on all carry-on baggage on commercial flights, the poll
said.

Taken three months ahead of congressional elections, the
survey found 44 percent of respondents said Republicans would
do a better job handling terrorism, compared with 39 percent
who preferred Democrats.

Fifty-three percent of respondents said they wanted to see
the Democrats win enough seats to take over Congress, while 34
percent said they wanted the Republicans to retain control, the
poll found.

Twenty-two percent of those surveyed said Iraq was the most
important issue in the upcoming election and would determine
how they would vote. Eighteen percent said the top issue was
the economy and 15 percent cited terrorism.

Fifty-three percent of Americans surveyed also said they
trusted the Democrats to better manage the economy, while 34
percent sided with Republicans, according to the poll.

The survey of 1,001 adults has a margin of error of 4
percentage points.