Headline

says "Bush Slumps to a New Low -- It's All About Iraq"

I am inclined to think that it is "all about" the price of gasoline.

The numbers on the economy, as well as the numbers on gas as a single issue, lead me to believe that. Also, his polling numbers still track (inversely) the price of gas. That is for the country as a whole. His loss of support among conservatives comes from 1. Iraq--he should have been more aggressive 2. Immigration--a self-inflicted, populist, talk-radio issue 3. The deficit--a real issue.

But this is also a lesson in pseudo-issues. Bush does not control conventional wisdom. In the late 90s, conventional wisdom said, "No matter what else is going on, the big story is the economy and the economy is good." Now the conventional wisdom says, "No mattter how good the economy really is, the economy is bad, Iraq is a mess, and whatever you are unhappy about is President Bush's fault."