ROVE PLAN GIVES BUSH SLIGHT BOUNCE IN POLL

(Greetings from soggy Charlotte, NC.)

What with all the pseudo-patriotic rhetoric and political posturing abounding around Congress and dominating the media the past few weeks it's no wonder the voters are confused. Rove's flag-waving and Zarqawi's death have had some effect.

After reaching a historic low of 33 percent last month, Bush's job approval rating increased five percentage points, buoyed by more favorable views of the way he was handling the situation in Iraq. Currently, 37 percent of the country approves of the job the president is doing in Iraq, up five points from its historic low in May.

But other key measures remained unchanged or down slightly from last month. The percentage of Americans who support Bush's handling of the campaign against terrorism dipped two points, to 51 percent. And 38 percent support the way he is dealing with the economy, unchanged from May.

Tags: Post ABC poll, Bush bounce