HERE ARE THE guts of the latest Washington Post-ABC NEWS poll:

Bush's Job Approval:
48% approve
49% disapprove

Terrorism:
53% approve of his record on terrorism
43% disapprove

Iraq:
57% disapprove of Bush's handling of Iraq (7 points higher than a poll taken in September)
70% said the gains made in Iraq come at an unacceptable cost in military casualties
56% said given the cost, the conflict there was "not worth fighting" (8-point increase from the summer, and the first time a decisive majority of people have reached this conclusion)
58% support keeping military forces in Iraq until "civil order is restored," even in the face of continued U.S. causalities

Elections in Iraq:
58% believed Iraq is not ready for elections.
60% want elections to go forward as scheduled
54% percent do not expect honest results with a "fair and accurate vote count."

Rumsfeld:
35 % approved of his job performance
53 % disapproved
52 % said he should step down

66% Democrats and slight majorities of independents want Rumsfeld replaced
60% Republicans approve of Rumsfeld and want him to stay in the job.

This is the first time a majority of Americans have admitted that the war in Iraq was a mistake. Most disapprove of Bush's Iraqi policy, Rumsfeld's job performance, and are skeptical about the future of U.S. occupation. All of these factors could serve as a turning point in public opinion and lead to a realization, within the administration, that the war cannot be maintained at its current levels. Thus, after the Jan. 30th elections (if they have an ounce of legitimacy) we may see some reduction in forces and influence.

Public disapproval over Bush's handling in Iraq and the sense that the war is "not worth fighting" are at their highest today, after the election. This serves as yet another testament to the failure of John Kerry in shaping the Iraqi debate and using the news in Iraq to his advantage. The public realization (in great majority) that the war was not worth fighting was not enhanced by the clever catchphrases of John Kerry ("wrong war, wrong place, wrong time"). Instead, he served as a distraction from the events on the ground and the ever-increasing U.S. casualty rate.