Poll: Voters reject McCain attacks

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. voters are rejecting Republican presidential nominee John McCain's attacks on Democrat Barack Obama over his associations, an ABC News poll indicates.

The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, 60 percent of likely voters said Obama's relationship with Ayers is not a legitimate issue in the presidential campaign, while 37 percent of respondents said it is.

On whether Obama's association with community group ACORN is a legitimate campaign issue, 49 percent of respondents said it's not an issue, while 40 percent said it is a legitimate issue.

By comparison, Obama's pick of Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., 56 percent of likely voters say it makes them more confident in Obama's decision-making, while 31 percent said it makes them less confident in the Illinois senator.

The poll was conducted by telephone Thursday through Saturday, among a random national sample of 995 likely voters. The margin of error is plus or minus and 3 percentage points.