****BAD NEWS FOR EARTH, maybe..****

[Dole]

From the BBC news website:

a new opinion poll has given Mr Bush his biggest lead for several months over Mr Kerry.

The Time magazine poll, taken during this week's Republican convention, gives Mr Bush an 11% advantage, as both sides resume their campaigning schedules.

Part of the Bush advantage could be explained by the intense media focus on the convention, says the BBC's Jill McGivering in Washington.

In the poll, President Bush scored best on issues at the heart of the Republican campaign - questions of strong leadership and his handling of what he calls the war on terror.

That may concern Democrats, wondering if the Republican formula is starting to work, our correspondent says.

However, analysts caution that individual polls can be misleading and it is too soon to know how long this post-convention boost will last.