Counter-terrorism triumphs may not facilitate to Obama in 2012 vote

US President Barack Obama may have a rope of anti-terrorism victory and made higher position from the people on foreign policy, but neither is probably to assist him grip the White House.

For his management, this re-election truth is an annoying base line.

When the first-term senator succeeded the presidency, queries hanged back about his willingness to tackle national security issues. Yet Obama has got broader appreciation for operations that have died terrorist chiefs, most remarkably Osama bin Laden in May, and Anwar al-Awlaki on Friday.

Al-Awlaki, an American national struck in the U.S. drone attack, was believed by the management as having a "crucial operational task" in terrorist plans. They included two nearly destructive assaults on U.S.-bound planes, an airliner on Christmas 2009 and cargo planes last year.

Obama also can say benefit for attacking Libyan activists in step downing Moammar Gadhafi, for helping other democratic movements in the Arab world, for drawing down the battle in Iraq and Afghanistan and for discussing a new nuclear arms reducing treaty with Russia.

But except for unpredicted mishaps, the nation's inflexibly higher joblessness rate and chaos in the financial markets mean people are far more probably to vote next November with the economy principal in their minds, not the president's history on foreign strategy and terrorism.

That's dreadful news for the management because people give Obama far greater support ratings on terrorism than on his tackling of the economy.

Indeed Obama's endorsement rating on terrorism was advanced than on any other matter, according to an Associated Press-GFK poll held in late August. It appeared that 60% of those reviewed endorsement of his tackling of terrorism. Only 36% supported of his tackling of the economy, an all-time poor for Obama.

Obama's on the whole support rating also chop down to an all-time low in the poll, 46%.

The re-election image obtains even gloomier given that 92% of those inquired said the economy was an tremendously or very key issue. By assessment 73% put the same importance on terrorism, but even they're separated over whether Obama should be re-elected.

It's also not clear whether the murdering of al-Awlaki will bring Obama any fresh political favor. The blistering American-born priest had a hand in many prestigious terror efforts on the U.S., but his name is barely as well-known to most Americans as bin Laden.

Obama's classifies for U.S. special forces to execute bin Laden during an attack on his Pakistani compound did give the president's endorsement rating a hit. But it established briefing, additional facts of the less important role of terrorism for voters.

"It's not 2004," said Rick Nelson, a leading fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "This isn't the main issue facing the United States. The key issue is the economy and jobs. That matter is going to surpass anything we do overseas."

The joint CIA-U.S. military raid that aimed al-Awlaki and killed a second American citizen wasn't without disagreement.

The assault actually was the first time a U.S. citizen was tracked and accomplished based on secret intelligence and the president's say-so, elevating questions about the reach of presidents' authorities.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, a GOP presidential nominee, called it a "murder" and said Americans should not carelessly acknowledge such aggression against U.S. nationals, even those with valid ties to terrorism.

But most other top Republicans contesting for Obama's job saw small disadvantage in admiring the president for his role.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry applauded president Obama, as well as the military and spy agencies, for "violent anti-terror policies." Ex- Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney criticized the president for his attempts to keep Americans secure and said al-Awlaki's killing was a "biggest victory" in the terrorism fight.

With the first nominating contests about three months away, foreign policy and terrorism have been virtually absent from the Republican race. When the issues have arisen, most GOP contenders have tried to portray the president as a weak leader. It's a sentiment they hope taps into voters' frustration with the economy.

Bruce Jones, an expert on transnational threats, said Obama's success against terrorist leaders may help counter that GOP strategy.

"At the very least, it takes away from the critics the idea that he can't lead, that he doesn't understand those kinds of issues," said Jones, also a senior foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.

Away from the antiterrorism attempts, Obama advisers say they consider the president will acquire credit come Election Day for his foreign policy successes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, in addition for his favor of other democratic movements in the whole the Arab world. They say the president has enhanced U.S. positioning in the world, making it easier to obtain international support for his strategies, sooner than having to go it alone.

But there is some worries amid Obama supporters that the one foreign policy matter most probably to locate a spot in the 2012 campaign is one that has got mild success: protecting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Republicans and some Jewish voters cover him as anti-Israel, while much of the world differs with his antagonism to Palestinian attempts to look for statehood acknowledgement at the United Nations.