Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Poll: Economy fears temper Obama’s bin Laden bump

WASHINGTON — In the days after Barack Obama ordered the successful mission to kill Osama bin Laden, the president’s approval rating on foreign policy issues reached an all-time high, even as public opinion regarding his handling of the economy sunk to the lowest point of his administration, according to a new NBC News poll.

The survey shows a mixed picture for Obama, whose overall job-approval rating was bumped higher by a modest three points after the al-Qaida leader’s death was announced late Sunday.
What has changed for the president since the raid at bin Laden’s compound: The number of respondents seeing Obama as a strong leader and a good commander in chief has spiked, and public opion for his handling of the war in Afghanistan jumped to an all-time high.
But here’s what hasn’t changed: Just a third of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction; less than four in 10 approve of Obama’s handling of the U.S. economy; and nearly 70 percent think the economy will get worse or stay the same in the next year.
“This is a poll that should both fortify the president and frighten the president as he looks ahead to re-election,” said Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.
Obama’s overall job-approval rating stands at 52 percent, a three-point increase from an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released a month ago. Forty-one percent say they disapprove of the president’s job, representing a drop of four points.
Looking ahead to next year’s presidential election, 45 percent said they would probably vote for Obama (a two-point rise from April), versus 30 percent who would probably vote for the eventual Republican nominee (an eight-point decrease).