A new poll by the Los Angeles Times shows that a majority of Americans believe Richard Clarke's charges against Bush.

Nearly three-fifths of those surveyed echoed the contention by Clarke that Bush placed a higher priority on invading Iraq than combating terrorism. And a smaller majority agreed with the charge by the onetime White House counterterrorism chief that Bush did not focus enough on the terrorist threat before the Sept. 11 attacks.

What does this portend for the presidential race? Still a statistical dead heat, says the Times:

Indeed, while the new questions about Bush's initial response to the terrorist threat could pose a long-term problem for him, the poll suggests the controversy has not significantly changed the dynamics propelling the country toward another close presidential race. The survey found presumed Democratic nominee John F. Kerry holding a 49% to 46% advantage over Bush among registered voters, a difference within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Not suprisingly, more Democrats than Republicans agreed with Clarke's charges:

By 57% to 37%, those polled agreed with Clarke's contention that "President Bush was more focused on attacking Iraq than dealing with terrorism." Almost four in five Democrats agreed with the claim, while two-thirds of Republicans disagreed.

Strangely, a majority of those polled thought Bush has made this country more secure. Good news: The economy still is a negative factor for Bush --53% disapproved. His overall approval rating: 51%, with 44% disapproving Both of these numbers are down since November.