Politics | President Obama George W. Bush Pulls Even With Obama in Poll Current president used to have a 23-point edge By John Johnson Posted Oct 8, 2010 6:20 PM CDT Copied George W. Bush hugs President Barack Obama after Obama was sworn in at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, in this Jan. 20, 2009, file photo. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File) A CNN poll is getting some buzz today because respondents put Barack Obama and George W. Bush in a statistical dead heat on the question of who's the better president. Obama edged Bush 47% to 45%, but it's a far cry from the 23-point margin he held a year ago. It could mean that Democrats will be less likely to pull out the Bush references as the midterms enter crunch time, says the network's polling director. Other findings: People say that Obama has done a better job than John McCain would have (50-42). It's about the same spread for Joe Biden over Sarah Palin. 45% approve of the overall job Obama's doing, up 3 points from last month, while 52% disapprove. 52% would vote for a generic Republican on the ballot, 45% for a Democrat. That 7-point spread is down 2 points from last time. Read These Next New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Report an error