Obama on A high

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. And the boost in stature for Obama,even if temporary,comes when a number of Republicans are deciding whether to commit themselves to the presidential race.

The development came at a good time for Obama,who received the worst foreign policy rating of his presidency in a New York Times/CBS News poll last month,with 46 per cent of respondents saying they disapproved of his handling of international affairs. The nations unemployment rate remains relatively high,and the economic recovery has yet to gain traction. Seventy per cent of Americans in the Times/CBS poll last month said the country was on the wrong track,and the White House is heading into what could be a bitter fight with Republicans about spending and raising the debt limit.

Karl Rove,the Republican strategist for President George W Bush,said that partys crop of presidential aspirants would be wise to not be churlish. But he said he did not believe Osamas death would be a deciding issue in the 2012 campaign. This will tend to cause a lot of people to say we got our job done, Rove said,noting a similar reaction when Saddam Hussein was captured in 2003. This is a moment that will require him to say,Heres what needs to be done to prevail in Afghanistan,in Iraq,in Yemen,in the broader war on terror.JEFF ZELENY