Grading On A Curve

Talk about the ol' switcheroo. As Obama tries to steer the debate to Iraq/Afghanistan and the war on terror, Pres. Bush wants to talk about the economy. When was the last time a Dem was upset about the economy stepping all over his message?

-- Today's WaPo/ABC News poll confirmed what we already knew: that Obama still hasn't passed the "Commander in Chief" test. It also tells us why both McCain and Obama are refocusing on Afghanistan. By 17-pt margin, more voters think the key to success in the broader war on terror is US win in Afghanistan rather than Iraq.

-- Even so, the latest news from GM and another day of plunging stock prices ensures that the economy, not Iraq, will remain voters' dominant concern, for now. Does this mean Obama's ability to prove his foreign policy creds matters less than it would have in '04? McCain has a 24-pt edge on who'd be the better commander-in-chief, while Obama has shown a double digit advantage on who'd best handle the economy.

--The question now: Which test voters see as the most important for the next president to pass.