Poll: Majority of Independents Say Obama ‘Over-Politicized’ bin Laden Killing

A majority of independent voters believe President Barack Obama has “over-politicized” his authorization of last year’s killing of terrorist kingpin Osama bin Laden, according to a new poll from The Hill.

While the president promised after last May’s takeout of bin Laden that the administration wouldn’t “spike the football” in celebration, many think it has done exactly that for the one-year anniversary of the mission.

A total of 52 percent of independents think the White House has over-politicized the anniversary, while 36 percent think the response has been “about right.” Among likely voters overall, 45 percent believe Obama over-politicized the anniversary, while 46 percent think he got it about right.

Among Republicans, 65 percent think Obama has over-politicized, while 28 percent think he got it about right. Among Democrats, 74 percent think the president got it about right, while 16 percent believe he over-politicized.

As for how Obama has handled the war in Afghanistan, 30 percent of likely voters overall think he has done a “poor” job, 29 percent say he’s done a “fair” job, 21 percent says he’s done an “excellent” job, and 19 percent say he’s done a “good” job.

A total of 46 percent of respondents say they trust Obama more on foreign policy than his likely GOP challenger Mitt Romney, while 44 percent choose Romney. But Romney leads among independents — 48 to 38 percent.