Remember the celebrations surrounding the vanquishing of Osama Bin Laden?

President Obama does… he enjoyed a sudden bump in popularity in the US.

But how fast things can change. Any political advantage President Obama received after the killing of Osama bin Laden has vanished in the most recent polls. As focus returns to the economy, the president’s approval ratings have taken a serious hit.

Today, just 47 percent of Americans approve of Obama, while 49 percent disapprove. A majority of independents, 53 percent, disapproves of his job performance.”

Image from The Washington Post

The poll brings good news to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whose campaign got off to a bit of a rough start last week. He ranks number one among the preferred GOP options, tying President Obama in a hypothetical election.

Meanwhile, Romney emerges in the new survey as the strongest current or prospective Republican candidate in the 2012 presidential field. Although he is by no means in a secure spot, on virtually every measure, the former governor appears better positioned than any of his rivals.”

If the economy stays in such distress, terrorist leaders may want to start reconsidering their living arrangements.