The latest public polls reveal that attitudes about the country's direction continue to trend even further negative, with barely 1-in-4 Americans now saying the country is moving in the right direction and more than 2-in-3 now feeling that the country is headed in the wrong direction.

As I noted in my public polling report released yesterday by Democracy Corps, this represents the lowest ratings of the country's direction in more than a decade in virtually every poll, and the lowest in history for many polls. There are many factors contributing to this broad pessimism, but Iraq remains the most powerful determinant of public attitudes. Americans continue to question the decision to go to war in Iraq in increasing numbers (58 percent now say the war was not worth fighting), and they see little hope for positive change in the short term. An incredible 78 percent in the CBS poll believe Iraq is already engaged in a civil war, and President Bush - whose personal integrity and persona as a straight shooter were his greatest political assets for much of the last four years - is no longer seen as a credible messenger on Iraq.

By now, anyone who reads DailyKos is familiar with the current trends in public opinion, which I analyzed in depth for Democracy Corps in an update released today.  Bush approval is at record lows; there is broad pessimism about the direction of the country; Democrats hold huge advantages in the generic congressional measure, but largely as a result of Republican losses rather than Democratic gains.  It is important not to lose sight of just how dramatic and historically significant the current situation is:

• Bush's approval marks are the lowest for any second-term president at this stage of his presidency aside from Nixon in the midst of the Watergate scandal
  
• Congressional approval marks are among the lowest in history and comparable to the period preceding the landslide change election of 1994
  
• Barely 3-in-10 Americans are satisfied with the country's current direction, with broad majorities expressing pessimism about the economy, war in Iraq, and the country's growing energy crisis
  
• There is literally no issue in the recent body of public opinion research on which Americans express optimism about the country's current direction
  
• Ratings of both Democrats and Republicans are at their lowest points in 50 years
  

Every public survey now shows a country ready for a political upheaval in 2006, and our latest survey at Democracy Corps is no different. In a report we've released today, Stan Greenberg and James Carville lay out the strategy they believe best positions Democrats to take advantage of this unique political moment. In short: Democrats must visibly break with Washington and define the choice for 2006 from outside.