Obama right man to fix economy - poll

Washington: Democrat Barack Obama holds his biggest advantage of the campaign as the candidate best prepared to fix the nation's ailing economy, but lingering concerns about his readiness to handle international crises are keeping the race close, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Overall Obama holds an 8-point advantage among registered voters across the nation, lifted by a big advantage among women voters, and he has also regained an edge among political independents. But it is Obama's lead on the economy that has become a particularly steep challenge for McCain.

Iraq slips on list of issues

Economic concerns continue to eclipse other issues, with half the country saying the country's economy is "extremely important" to their vote in the presidential contest. Gasoline and energy prices, which voters rarely mentioned at the start of the year, come in just behind. The Iraq war, which was again the subject of direct engagement between Obama and McCain Tuesday, ranks third. A cluster of domestic issues, including education, health care and Social Security, ranked behind the war, as did the issue of terrorism.

Obama continues to hold an edge over McCain on many areas of domestic policy. The presidential campaign is playing out against the backdrop of a leadership crisis in Washington, with Americans remaining in a generally sour mood about their representatives in the nation's capital. In the new survey, President Bush's overall approval rating hit another record low in Post-ABC polling: Just 28 per cent approve of the way he is handling his job; 69 per cent disapprove, including 56 per cent who "strongly" disapprove.

Public impressions of Congress are even lower, with just 23 per cent giving it a positive rating. That is the lowest public assessment of the legislative branch since October 1994, just before Republicans seized control of both houses of Congress for the first time since 1945. While congressional Democrats (35 per cent approve) remain more popular than congressional Republicans (25 per cent approve), both are rated negatively.

The overall political climate still bodes poorly for Republicans this fall, but the presidential race is relatively close in part because of persistent doubts about both candidates. Nearly three-quarters said some things about McCain worry them and nearly two-thirds said so of Obama.

There continue to be questions about Obama's experience, particularly his capacity to deal with national security and international issues. Forty-nine per cent of those surveyed said Obama's level of experience would hamper his ability to serve effectively as president; fewer, 40 per cent, said it would help.

Obama's current 8-point lead in a match-up with McCain depends in large part on support from women. Men divide about evenly, while Obama leads by 15 points among women (54 to 39 percent). Obama has now pulled even with McCain among white women, for his best showing among this group since April.