President Bush (news - web sites) and Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) head toward their third and final televised debate this week with voters increasingly pessimistic about the economy, the war in Iraq (news - web sites) and the battle against terrorism, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. (Related link: Latest poll results)
Unease about the country's direction has eroded Bush's job approval rating into dangerous territory for an incumbent president. And Kerry holds a decided advantage on the domestic issues that will be the focus of their last face-to-face encounter.
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"We see very strong momentum to John Kerry nationally, particularly in the battleground states," says Mark Mellman, Kerry's pollster. He says the debates have given Kerry an opportunity to outline his proposals and raise questions about Bush's course.
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But Bush's approval rating - the most reliable measure of a president's re-election prospects - has dropped to 47%, the lowest since July. Anything below 50% is considered a red flag for incumbents.
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