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I see that Digby and I were writing about the same article in the WaPo today (and as usual, Digby's post is better). Digby also adds this bit from a Los Angeles Times article on Dubya's popularity:

The survey's results suggested that an old challenge — the gender gap — could pose a renewed threat to the Republican hold on Congress. Although men split about evenly when asked which party they planned to back for Congress in November, women preferred Democrats by nearly 2 to 1.

Doubts about Iraq appeared to be a powerful contributor to that trend. In the survey, women were much less likely than men to say the war had been worth the cost.

"As far as the war goes, we never should have gone in there without United Nations backing," said respondent Kathy Bocklage, a registered Republican from Wayland, N.Y., who said she was planning to support Democrats this fall. "Why [Bush] thought the U.S. could finance this alone — it's ludicrous."

However, beneath the large Democrat lead on the November ballot test, the poll offered potential warnings for the party.

On a variety of questions — including satisfaction with Bush's handling of terrorism and the likelihood of progress in Iraq — it showed modest but perceptible movement in the president's direction since the last Times/Bloomberg survey, in April. Also, the share of Americans who viewed the Democratic Party favorably declined.

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll have occasion to say it again -- the Democrats have a women problem.  Everyone from Hillary to Evan Bayh on down in sporting Limbaugh-esque wood (read:  unimpressive)  to be the 2008 War President, but nobody is factoring in that all this codpiece swinging is looking extremely suspect to the distaff side of the electorate.  

The Democrats already had a women problem -- in 2004, 20 million unmarried women did not vote.  That was a group that favored John Kerry 2 to 1 and could have put him over the top.  If there has been any significant GOTV effort by Democrats with regard to this group, I haven't seen any evidence.  

Nobody should be surprised that the ladies are rolling their eyeballs and really don't want to involve themselves in this bullshit festival. It may sound like Grand Statesmanship and Global Strategies to others, but I'm reminded on this occasion of one of my favorite posts by the Rude Pundit.  Because this is what it sounds like to us:

It was goddamn pathetic, like when an asshole gets in your face at a bar to fight you, and when you back down, he calls you a "tit-sucking mama's boy." Then, on the shameful car ride home, you think, "Yeah, I should have said, 'Tell your mama to keep her tits in her shirt'" before kicking yourself for the missed opportunity. The only thing more pathetic than your initial action would be to go up to the asshole the next time you see him and say it.

The "war on terra" language doesn't sound like some Peckenpah epic to us; more like Pee Wee Herman shreiking "I know you are but what am I?" A silly game played for, and by, a bunch of sissies with no self-awareness.  And it would seem that this consciousness is spreading.  Rather than play catch-up, it would be nice to see someone with the vision to get ahead of the curve, stop the dick-swinging nonsense and start talking to, and for, women.