Bush Holds Poll Lead as First Debate Looms

With their first debate set for Thursday in Coral Gables, Florida, President George W. Bush entered the week with a solid polling lead over Democratic challenger John Kerry. Two national surveys gave Bush margins of seven to eight points: 51-44 in a Washington Post/ABC News poll and 52-44 in a USA Today/CNN/Gallup survey.

Both campaigns traded attacks as they prepared out of public view. Bush adviser Karen Hughes told NBC that Kerry's description of the Iraq campaign as a "profound diversion" meant he intended to pull troops out immediately. Kerry had made no such pledge; he said he hoped to begin reducing forces by mid-2005, contingent on conditions on the ground. Kerry countered that the White House was relying on scare tactics to mask a weak record.

Polling data suggested the attacks were landing. Fifty-six percent of respondents said Kerry had no clear Iraq plan, and 55 percent said the same about terrorism. Bush led on handling Iraq (53 to 40), terrorism (54 to 37), and the economy (48 to 43), while his overall job approval stood at 52 percent. Aides on both sides worked to lower expectations before the face-off, aware that US political media tend to judge debate outcomes by who outperforms predictions rather than who makes the stronger argument.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.