McCain Trusted more than Obama on Economy, national security

By Rick Moran

Rasmussen reports the latest survey on voter attitudes toward the candidates and at the moment, John McCain is besting Barack Obama in several important categories.

On the economy, Iraq, national security, and taxes, John McCain is trusted more than Obama:

When it comes to the economy, 47% of voters trust John McCain more than Barack Obama. Obama is trusted more by 41%. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey also found that, when it comes to the War in Iraq, McCain is trusted more by 49% of voters. Obama is preferred by 37%. McCain has an even larger edge-53% to 31%--on the broader topic of National Security. These results are little changed from a month ago.

Obama enjoys a 43% to 39% advantage when it comes to government ethics and reducing corruption. McCain has a 44% to 38% advantage on taxes.

It is interesting to note that while McCain has the edge over Obama on these issues, Democrats are trusted more than Republicans on a generic basis. This ability of McCain to outperform the party label helps explain why he is competitive with the Democrats in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking poll.

That Iraq number is especially interesting. It could be that the good news coming out of Iraq recently has made McCain's "win the war" position more attractive than Obama's "phased withdrawal" ideas. This would be very bad news for Obama because it could be that he would be seen as wanting an American loss in Iraq if he persists in pushing that agenda.

And that edge in national security is huge. This proves what AT Political Correspondent Rich Baehr has been saying for months; that if McCain can make this election about national security, he could win easily.