And do you feel scared - I do...

Some good news via TGW. I have a feeling we're gonna need it this week.

The new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds: "Americans — by a 16-point margin, 51 to 35 percent — now say the country should go in the direction in which the Democrats want to lead, rather than follow Bush. That's a 10-point drop for the president from a year ago, and the Democrats' first head-to-head majority of his presidency."

Furthermore, "[T]he Democrats hold a 16-point lead in 2006 congressional election preferences, 54 to 38 percent among registered voters, their best since 1984." [via Political Wire]

And Bushie's numbers are just as miserable. Only "42 percent of Americans approve of his work, 56 percent disapprove." Not since Nixon has a pResident done so poorly at the outset of his sixth year in office.

At least, it would be good news, if we actually had an opposition party instead of a bunch of cowering, whipped dogs.

ETA: From Bob Geiger, more potentially good news, if only Democrats knew (had known) what to do with it:

A Fox News poll taken last week shows that 53 percent of Americans believe either that Alito should not be confirmed (32 percent) or have no opinion (21 percent).

In a CBS News/New York Times poll, taken January 20-25, 16 percent of respondents had an unfavorable view of Alito. But most people didn’t have much of an opinion at all, with 23 percent undecided and one-third of all Americans saying they hadn’t heard enough to have an opinion. (But I’d wager a month’s pay that this same 33 percent has very firm opinions on the Natalee Holloway disappearance or the breakup of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt.)

And the rubber really meets the road with questions like this one asked in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll taken 10 days ago: "Suppose all or most of the Democrats in the Senate oppose Alito's nomination. Do you think they would be justified or not justified in using Senate procedures, such as the filibuster, to prevent an up-or-down vote on his nomination?"

That question showed us that 53 percent of Americans either flat-out support a filibuster or are unsure.

In early January, the same poll asked respondents what they thought of the political philosophy of the current Supreme Court. Only six percent said they thought the Court was “too liberal” while 29 percent said it’s too conservative.

Finally, a CBS News poll in early 2006 showed that 61 percent of Americans believe Senators voting on a Supreme Court Justice should “...also consider that nominee's personal views on major issues the Supreme Court decides."

They could have gotten it done. If the Democrats had shown up to play (you see how upset I am? I'm stooping to sports metaphors), they could have won a major victory, one that matters more than almost anything else Bush is going to do in his entire misadministration.

But they didn't. And they're about to be humiliated. And they're going to lose the support of the "netroots" (and crab grass like me). Because goddamnit, they could have gotten it done. Fuck every single last one of 'em.