AFP
- US voters believe by a two-to-one margin that Republican White House candidate John McCain is better qualified than his rival Barack Obama to deal with a resurgent Russia, a new poll found on Tuesday.
The Quinnipiac University survey also finds McCain gaining on his Democratic rival in the national race, in which he now trails by 47 percent to 42 percent overall, ahead of party nominating conventions next week and the week after.
McCain had been down 50 to 41 percent nationally in the same independent organization’s poll in July.
The Republican senator has attempted to leverage the fallout of Russia’s showdown with Georgia, and his own vehement early condemnation of Moscow’s actions, to portray Obama as lacking in commander-in-chief credentials.
He led 55 to 27 percent over Obama when likely voters were asked who is best qualified to deal with Russia, figures likely to highlight wider doubts among some voters about the Illinois Democrat’s lack of foreign policy experience.
Quinnipiac figures however show that Russia is not among the top concerns of US voters, despite the crisis in the caucuses.
“In dealing with Russia, even a large minority of Democrats think McCain would do better than Obama,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
“We’ll have to see how important this issue becomes in the Fall campaign.”
Obama’s first response to Russia’s clash with Georgia was seen as more even-handed than McCain’s, but he has since stiffened his rhetoric, and there is now little difference on policy towards Moscow between the two candidates.
The survey confirms that the slowing US economy is the prime election issue — 52 percent of those asked said it was most important, compared to 16 percent who said Iraq, 10 percent who cited healthcare and nine percent who said terrorism.
Obama leads McCain 49-41 percent on the economy, 61-30 percent among voters most worried about the war and 66-24 percent on healthcare.
“The poll underlines Senator Barack Obama’s strengths and weaknesses,” said Carroll.
“He leads overall and he’s strong with women, even stronger among young folks and astronomically strong with blacks.
“Weaknesses: Senator John McCain beats him among white voters, men, older folks and white Catholics,” said Carroll.
The poll surveyed 1,547 likely voters nationwide, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
