[RockinRight]

A 3-point Kerry lead would be "Kerry Surges Ahead of Bush."

[oblomov]

If it were Kerry 50/Bush 47, would ABC News characterize the race as "Neck and Neck"?

[Petronski]

Job approval is 53? I wonder if that is 52.5 or 53.4.

[Moconservative]

I like the 53% approval rating. That is the kind of sign that makes it look good for President Bush.

[MikefromOhio]

remember guys

a 1 point Kerry lead is dominating or commanding...a 10 point Bush lead is slight

LOL what a F'n joke....

[Dog]

Democrats account for 36 percent of likely voters in this poll, Republicans for 34 percent.

Pretty evenly split..

[BoBToMatoE]

JA @ 53%! Wewt!

[eureka!]

". Bush leads Kerry by 22 points as the stronger leader, by 18 points as having taken clearer stands on the issues and by nine points as more honest and trustworthy -- the most important attribute of the lot. I hope to hear more from W on the "he'll say anything" front. This one is killer...

[Janan Ganesh]

53% JA is great news. I was getting worried about Bush's JA recently.

[tobyhill]

Job approval at 53% will be the same as his popular vote.

[madison46]

INternals, internals, internals. Besides being at 50%, the internals are great if measuring where undecideds will break.

Nothing but good news in that write up.

[MEG33]

Joe Lockhart said job approval means everything yesterday.

http://realclearpolitics.com/Presidential_04/bush_ja.html

Looks like that is also up!

[saigon]

"Neck and neck"

"slight edge"

Starting to sound like talking points to me.

[LS]

They STILL don't get it: "Another is the fact that terrorism, Bush's keystone issue, has slipped on the priority list as the candidates have focused on domestic matters."

Issue Now 9/26

Iraq 26 20

Terrorism 19 24

THIS IS THE SAME DAMN ISSUE. IN FACT, BUSH HAS GAINED A POINT IN THE TWO COMBINED ISSUES!!!!!!! AAAARRRRRGGGGGEEHHHHH.

[rushmom]

Bush leads 52-4l on handling of Iraq but on that issue Kerry leads. Explain that one.

[BigTime]

A theory on why the internals are kinder to Bush than the who would you vote for question: I think people are disappointed in how the leadup to Iraq created false impressions about WMD and they are mad about it.

How does that anger manifest itself? I think there is a segment of people who are saying they are going to vote for Kerry but in their hearts, they know Bush to be the better leader.

So they answer the internals with much higher praise than would seem appropriate given Bush's overall support number.

When it comes time to pull the trigger on voting day, these votes will either break for Bush or stay home.

Isn't the same the case for poll questions about taxes? When polled people say they don't favor tax cuts but when they vote they are overwhelmingly in favor of them.

I think the same pattern will emerge in this election.

A segment of the "I'm voting for Kerry" people are lodging a soft protest at this stage but many of them will not follow through.

That plus the libs running the polls are cooking their books.