War boosts Bush

GEORGE W Bush’s approval rating has jumped by 14% since the outbreak of war with Iraq, a poll found yesterday.

Some 73% of Americans are happy with the president’s job performance, up from 59% in the week before the start of military action to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime.

The increase mirrors the rise in popularity his father enjoyed immediately after the 1991 Gulf war, support that rapidly collapsed as images of the war were replaced by worries about the flagging economy. In an attempt to avoid the mistakes of his father, who lost his re-election campaign to Bill Clinton in 1992, Mr Bush is making an aggressive push to boost the sluggish economy even before the bullets stop flying in Iraq.