A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey shows that President George W. Bush's approval rating has increased to 57%, up from 51% three weeks ago. The approval increase appears to be related to the recent Iraqi elections, which the poll shows went better than most Americans expected. In general, the public is more positive now than it was before the elections about the way Bush has handled the situation in Iraq, as well as how the war is faring for the United States. At the same time, the poll shows little change in Bush's job approval rating on the economy or on Social Security.The poll, conducted Feb. 4-6, shows that Bush's overall approval rating is the highest it has been in over a year. In fact, his approval rating has not exceeded 55% since a Jan. 9-11, 2004, poll, when 59% of Americans indicated their approval of the way Bush was handling the presidency. In the wake of the Democratic primaries and caucuses that followed, along with troubles in Iraq (such as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal), Bush's rating dropped as low as 46% (in May) and then fluctuated around 50% during the rest of the year. (See poll figures at link)