We've all been cautioned to not expect a new permanent jump in the President's approval, and this new WaPo/Pew poll makes the same point.
In the overnight polling,
Barack Obama’s job approval rating has jumped in the wake of bin Laden’s killing. In the one-day survey, 56% say they approve of the way Obama is handling his job as president while 38% disapprove. Last month, Obama’s job rating was about evenly divided – 47% approved, 45% disapproved. Obama has gotten about the same boost in job approval as did former President Bush in the days after the U.S. military’s capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003. Following Saddam’s capture, Bush’s rating rose from 50% to 57%. (A more comprehensive survey will be conducted May 5-8 to follow up on these preliminary reactions to the death of bin Laden and Obama’s job performance.)
In fact, GOP opinion has not budged one iota. it was
16% in April and is 16% now. But what's interesting, in context, are the numbers seen in the top graphic on who to give credit to.
Obama gets far more credit from the public than does George W. Bush for bin Laden’s killing. But the military and the CIA and other intelligence agencies receive much more credit – fully 86% say the U.S. military deserves a “great deal” of credit and 66% say the same about the CIA and other intelligence agencies.
Roughly a third (35%) say that Obama deserves a great deal of credit for bin Laden’s demise, and a large majority (76%) say he deserves a great deal or “some” credit. By comparison, 51% say that Bush deserves either a great deal (15%) or some credit (36%) for the death of bin Laden.
Navy SEALs shot Osama in the eye and deposited him in the drink. The 4% of the public who doesn't give them credit must be the people who want hair like Donald Trump.
And it's especially interesting to watch the furious media push from the Bushies that their torture polices led to Osama's demise (it didn't: see Josh Marshall, Marcy Wheelerand Joan McCarter for more.) As I noted this morning:
Some of the continuity between the Bush years and Obama years was needed and important. But let’s put to rest the myth (and correct the mythmakers actively trying to elevate Bush) that torture helped the United States. It didn’t and is a blot on our recent history.
But that won't stop the revisionists from trying.