Thaindian News

Washington, May 4 (IANS) US President Barack Obama is likely to receive a strong boost in the polls with the historic announcement about the killing of Osama bin Laden, but the spike in his popularity may not last, analysts suggest.

“The killing of…bin Laden has altered the contours of the 2012 presidential contest, offering…Obama an unforeseen lift and creating turbulence within a Republican campaign that was already struggling for focus,” wrote the Los Angeles Times.

However, “Obama faces a new and difficult manoeuvre: turning a national security triumph into progress on a totally unrelated front-the domestic economy,” where “any advantage he gets will depend on how high his popularity rises, and how long it lasts,” it said.

“Obama drew praise from unlikely quarters on Monday,” noted the New York Times and “as fleeting as it might prove to be, the positive tone stood in blunt contrast to the narrative Republicans have been working to build in the opening stages of the 2012 presidential campaign.”

The “argument that most potential Republican candidates have been making - that Obama is an indecisive leader, incapable of handling rapidly evolving events around the world - suddenly became more complicated,” it said.

USA Today, suggested that “Bin Laden Demise Boosts Obama, But Doesn’t Ensure Re-election.”

The “success of the top-secret operation against Al Qaeda’s founder boosts Obama’s credentials on handling foreign policy and the perception of him as a strong leader, an issue that had been a growing problem,” it said.

The Washington Post suggested that “just as feelings of national unity surrounding Sep 11 dissipated over time, so to is this likely to fade in its political significance.”

Democrats and Republicans both agree that “economic issues would play a far more influential role in the next election than this episode,” the Post said.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)