Bush tied with Kerry in latest poll

USA TODAY - Bush's ratings slip at crucial point of campaign: A Gallup Poll conducted Sunday through Tuesday showed that if the election were held now, Kerry and Bush would be tied at 47% each; independent candidate Ralph Nader would receive 3%. That's a six-point swing since mid-April, when Bush led Kerry 50%-44%.

The survey of 1,000 adults has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

What's hurting Bush: The public isn't convinced that the economy is getting better, and they're worried that Iraq is getting worse. By 62% to 36%, those polled said they were dissatisfied with the direction of the country, the most pessimistic reading since 1996.