A new Washington Post-ABC News poll out Monday night shows the majority of Americans oppose the nuclear option by a 2 to 1 margin. They want to preserve the filibuster. They get it. The radical right, for all its self-puffery, is not the mainstream. It don't speak for America.

The poll also shows dwindling support for Bush's social security reform plan involving privatized accounts and for Bush himself:

Bush's standing with the public was at or near new lows, with less than half the public supporting the way the president is handling the economy, energy policy and Iraq.

Taken together, the findings suggest that Bush is off to a difficult start in his second term, with Democrats far less willing to accommodate him and his agenda than his reelection victory last November may have foreshadowed. Beyond that, the survey highlights the divisions within the Republican Party, whether that involves Bush's signature Social Security proposal or the intersection of religion and politics that has become a defining characteristic of today's GOP.