Obama has not been the beneficiary of an obvious rally event in his presidency until now, even though there have been some significant international events during this time. Obama’s approval rating did not change appreciably after Navy Seal snipers rescued a U.S. merchant captain held hostage by Somali pirates in April 2009, after the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day 2009, after the cessation of combat operations in Iraq in August 2010, and after the United States’ recent participation in a military coalition in Libya.

The increase in Obama’s approval rating in recent days has come exclusively among Republicans and independents, with a 12-point increase among Republicans and a 9-point rise among independents. Democrats’ approval rating of Obama has not changed over this time period.