Battle for control of US Congress intensified

As Congress adjourned for a final five-week campaign blitz, polls show voters are unhappy with the direction of the country, dissatisfied with the Republican-led Congress and more likely to favour Democrats in their local House races.

In the past week, Democrats turned public attention back to the unpopular war in Iraq and put the White House on the defensive in a heated debate over a National Intelligence Estimate that said the conflict had fuelled Islamic extremism.

But Bush's slight rise in approval ratings in the last month, a big drop in gas prices and renewed voter attention to the fight against terrorism, usually a party strength, encouraged Republicans and improved their position in some tight races, analysts said.

"For Republicans, the outlook remains bad but is no longer horrific," said political handicapper Charlie Cook, publisher of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.