That New Washington Post/ABC Poll

It's wrong to put too much stock in any poll of the moment or to get caught up in Washington's kerfuffle du jour. But the new Washington Post/ABC poll really is worth noting for the way it would seem to stand conventional wisdom on its head. 57 percent of respondents support a public option. More than half--51 percent to be precise--want it passed and don't care if it gets a single Republican vote. Only 20 percent of respondents identified themselves as Republicans, the fewest in 26 years. Such moments may prove ephemeral, but it's a reminder that the gyrations of elite opinion don't always match what's going on in the country. Certainly all the attention paid to teabaggers and other Obama haters wasn't entirely misplaced. There were and are real expressions of anger. Still, Obama's slow-and-steady approach seems to be paying off.