ABC News/Washington Post Poll : 56 Percent of Americans Say Iraq War Was a Mistake

56 Percent in Survey Say Iraq War Was a Mistake (washingtonpost.com)

Complete polling results at PollingReport.com.

Some observations:

57% of those polled disapprove of the way the President is handling the war in Iraq, up from 50% in September;

In terms of the cost/benefit ratio, 56% believe the war in Iraq is not worth fighting;

70% believe the number of US casualties is "unacceptable;"

Only 44% believe the US is making "significant progress" toward stabilizing Iraq.

In another part of the poll, 49% disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as President, while 48% approve.

I think this is a pretty good argument for changing the way our advertisement-driven election campaigns operate. If the election were held today, absent the flurry of the Kerry-bashing screed we called political advertising, would Bush be President right now?

I don't know. But it is an interesting question.