Poll: Obama lacks deficit-reduction plan

NEW YORK, June 18 (UPI) -- A majority of U.S. residents said President Barack Obama has not articulated a clear strategy to deal with the budget deficit, a New York Times poll indicated.

Results of the poll, conducted with CBS News and released Thursday, also indicated a falloff in support of Obama's plans to overhaul healthcare, rescue the domestic auto industry and close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

A majority of people polled said Obama's policies either have had no effect on lifting the economy or have made it worse, pollsters said.

Results indicated six in 10 respondents said the administration hasn't develop a clear plan for dealing with the deficit, including 65 percent of independents.

Regarding the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, the poll indicated eight of 10 respondents expressed concern that detainees released to other countries might be involved in future attacks on the United States.

Obama's job approval rating was 63 percent among Democrats, but 23 percent among Republicans, down from 44 percent in February, the poll indicated.

Fifty-nine percent of participants said they approved of Obama's foreign policy approach and another 57 percent said they favored how Obama has dealt with the terrorism threat.

Results are based on a national telephone poll with 895 adults conducted Friday through Tuesday. The survey's margin of error is 3 percentage points.