WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The approval ratings for US President George W. Bush have surged in recent weeks, reversing what had been an extended period of decline, a poll published on Tuesday showed.

    Bush's overall approval rating ro se to 47 percent, from 39 percent in early November, with 52 percent saying that they disapproved of how he was handling his job, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll, which was conducted on Dec. 15-18. On Iraq, his approval rating jumped 10 percentage points, to 46 percent, while his rating on the economy rose 11 points, to 47 percent.

    His approval rating on fighting terrorism - a traditional strong point in his reputation, increased to 56 percent, from 48 percent in the November poll.

    The marked improvement in Bush's fortunes came after months of erosion in the president's political standing that tracked a series of problems afflicting his administration, which included the continuing violence and mounting US casualties in Iraq, high gasoline prices and the federal government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina.

    The massive turnout in last week's elections in Iraq, coupled with a public relations offensive in which the president delivered five speeches and held one news conference in 19 days, have delivered a substantial year-end dividend to a president badly in need of good news, a report in Tuesday's The Washing Post said.

    Bush was still not in robust political health, with more Americans still disapproving of how was handling the presidency (52 percent), Iraq (53 percent) and the economy (52 percent) than approving, according to the poll.

    The nationwide poll of 1,003 adults had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. Enditem