17 September 2004	Friday	01 Shaban 1425

WASHINGTON, Sept 16: As the convention-time boost enjoyed by President George Bush began to wane, he and rival John Kerry were again running neck and neck less than two months before the Nov 2 election.

According to the latest Harris Interactive poll posted on The Wall Street Journal's website on Thursday, Mr Kerry secured 48 per cent of the intended vote, compared with 47 per cent for Mr Bush.

Independent candidate Ralph Nader garnered two per cent of the hypothetical vote. A slim majority of respondents (51 per cent) said they do not believe Bush "deserves to be re-elected for another four years", compared with 45 per cent who said they do, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Bush had enjoyed a slight lead of up to 11 points over Kerry in recent polls, as his party held its national convention in New York at the beginning of the month and as Kerry's records in Congress and Vietnam came under sustained attack. The survey was the first by Harris Interactive since August, when Bush and Kerry each garnered 47 per cent of the intended vote.

'PERSUADABLE' VOTERS: According to another poll, Mr Bush had lost ground in the esteem of voters whose loyalty was up for grabs. The president's approval rating among undecided voters dropped from 56 per cent last month to 44 per cent this month, while disapproval grew from 39 percent to 49 per cent, according to the poll by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center.

In contrast, the standing of Democratic contender John Kerry improved among the same group, going from 36 per cent approval in August to 43 per cent in September, versus disapproval ratings of 26 per cent and 25 per cent. -AFP