The GOP primary battle has been a long, bloodied affair, making the Democratic primary battle royale four years ago look like a cricket match.
And there doesn't seem to be an end in site, although the next couple of weeks should certainly helps shake things out—or at least boot Newt Gingrich form the battle altogether. Or not. All bets seem to be off this year.
So, let the battle of presentational polls begin. The latest is the Politico/George Washington University Battleground Poll, which shows President Obama beating former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 53 percent to 43 percent in the general election while it also has him beating former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania 53 percent to 42 percent.
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(While this isn't particularly shocking given the falling unemployment numbers, I'm a little surprised Santorum matches up against Obama so well. And keep in mind these hypotheticals had Obama dead even with any GOP candidate back in November.)
But don't start booking your inauguration plans just yet. A similar USA Today/Gallup poll— released Monday as well—had Romney deadlocked with Obama at 47 percent each while the president owns a slightly stronger but still anemic three-point advantage over Santorum.
While all of these numbers make great headlines, there are a couple of truths you won't hear much from all of the talking heads this week.
One, these polls show Romney with a much higher unfavorable rating among independents (whoever they are anymore) than either Obama or Santorum, clearly a product of his overwhelmingly negative primary campaign strategy, used effectively against Cain, Gingrich and now Santorum. Romney is obviously the biggest lobster in the bucket (with the deepest pockets), quickly dragging down anyone who dares to inch ahead of him.
And, finally, we have roughly eight months until the general election and that's nearly a lifetime for a politician. Anything can—and probably will—happen. So take these numbers for what they're worth.
Two far more important numbers to watch out for? The unemployment rate, which has been falling steadily lately and gas prices, which have been doing just the opposite. If these stay low, we're looking at another four years of Obama. If either of these creep up high enough, the president, for all his flowery rhetoric, is vulnerable.
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