Obama's Job Approval Rises To 50 Percent In New Gallup Poll

President Barack Obama got more than rest and relaxation while he was on vacation in Hawaii over the holidays: His job approval rating, which had been languishing in the mid-40-percent range for more than six months, rose to 50 percent, according to Gallup Daily tracking.

The results are the average from tracking conducted Dec. 28-29 and Jan. 2, Gallup said.

Obama's rise in ratings comes after a particularly busy lame-duck session of Congress, which the president termed "a season of progress." Compromise was reached on extending the Bush-era tax cuts, Congress repealed the ban on gays serving openly in the military, and a measure was passed to pay for health benefits for rescue workers who became ill after working at Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

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