Some Bad Numbers For Bush

Americans are finally starting to see the light:

A new Gallup Poll, conducted in late January, reveals that just 39% of Americans approve of the way President Bush is handling Iraq, with 58% disapproving.

Over half (53%) now say the administration "deliberately misled the American public about whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction," with 46% disagreeing. Gallup notes that this finding is "essentially reversed" from one year ago.

Further, some 51% say the U.S. "made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq." Yet, despite this, only 17% expect a significant reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq in the next year.

Needless to say, this is a very bad development for Bush because the lack of WMD in Iraq is pretty much a settled story, meaning that 53% "deliberately misled" number has nowhere to go but up. And it certainly doesn't help that Americans are getting daily reminders that Bush lied his way into Iraq (e.g., a network co-anchor being seriously wounded there, American servicemen dying there on a routine basis, etc.).