Forty-four percent! 

A Gallup Poll, taken Sept. 15-17, finds that President Bush’s job approval rating has soared to 44 percent, the highest since the president virtually touched the sky at 45 percent in September 2005.

Of course, other polls have placed Bush a little lower; the Real Clear Politics average of presidential polls puts him at 40.8 percent.

Still, that beats Bush’s low point of 31 percent in a Gallup Poll last May.

And he’s in good company. Everybody who is anybody in the presidential world has been at 44 percent.

According to Gallup records, Bill Clinton was there a bunch of times — in May and August 1993; in June and September 1994; and then in March, April and September 1995.

George H.W. Bush hit 44 in February 1992.

Ronald Reagan was at 44 in April and June 1982, and in July and August 1983.

Jimmy Carter was at 44 in June 1978.

Gerald Ford was at 44 in April and October 1975.

Richard Nixon was at 44 in May and June 1973.

Lyndon Johnson was at 44 percent in October 1966, June 1967 and December 1968.

Of course, some were on the way up, and some were on the way down. We’ll know more about Bush later.

Whatever the case, it appears his campaigning for Republicans in the House and Senate is beginning to help the GOP cause, not hurt it.

In the new Gallup survey, there are a several results that suggest the war on terror is playing a bigger part in voters’ minds these days. Among people who are likely to vote, terrorism is the second most important issue (after Iraq). That puts it above the economy, health care, and illegal immigration.

And as much as Democrats hate it, in those voters’ minds, Republicans still have a substantial lead when it comes to keeping America safe.

Gallup asked, “What impact do you think this fall’s elections will have on terrorism in the U.S.? Do you think the country will be safer from terrorism if the Republicans keep control of Congress, would be safer from terrorism if the Democrats gain control of Congress, or would it not make a difference either way?” (In its questioning, Gallup rotates mentioning the Republicans or Democrats first.)

Forty-four percent say it wouldn’t make any difference. But 31 percent say the country would be safer if Republicans keep control, and 21 percent say it would be safer if Democrats gain control.

Then Gallup asked, “Would you be more likely to vote for a candidate for Congress who supports President Bush on terrorism, more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes President Bush on terrorism, or would that not make much difference to your vote?”

Forty-five percent of likely voters say they will vote for the candidate who supports Bush.

Just 28 percent say they’ll vote for a Bush opponent, and 26 percent say it doesn’t make a difference.

But what about the Democrats’ contention that the war in Iraq is a distraction from the real war on terror, that we need Democratic leadership to bring America home from Iraq?

Well, Gallup also asked, “Would you be more likely to vote for a candidate for Congress who supports President Bush on the war in Iraq, more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes President Bush on the war in Iraq, or would that not make much difference to your vote?”

The numbers were extremely close: 39 percent say they’ll vote for a Bush supporter, 40 percent will vote for a Bush opponent, and 20 percent say it doesn’t make a difference.

But that means that even on Iraq — surely the president’s most vulnerable issue — Democrats have no clear lead.

By the way, 67 percent of those polled believe Democrats have no clear plan for what to do in Iraq.

As for their own preferences, they don’t appear to be leaning toward Democrats. Gallup gave respondents four different possibilities for the U.S. in Iraq — withdraw all troops immediately; withdraw all troops by a year from now; withdraw troops, but take as many years as needed to do it; or send more troops.

In the latest poll, 51 percent chose either withdraw, but take as long as necessary, or, send more troops. Forty-eight percent favored withdrawing immediately or within a year.

In July, when Gallup asked the same question, the numbers were quite different. Just 41 percent favored a long withdrawal or more troops. Fifty-five percent favored withdrawing immediately or within a year.

Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the leaders of the Democrats’ efforts to retake the House and Senate, have made clear they believe Democrats can take Republicans head-on on the issue of national security, arguing that GOP rule has made America less safe.

Certainly they believe that. But if this new poll is correct, with nearly seven weeks left before the election, they haven’t been able to convince most voters.

York is a White House correspondent for National Review. His column appears in The Hill each week. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it