Too late now but a useful data point nonetheless, especially on a day when Bank of America became, literally, the bank of America. Hey, remember after the surge began how the left would point to polls on Iraq and remind us that Bush was defying popular will by continuing to pursue his exorbitantly expensive boondoggle (which, after almost six years, is still $75 billion less exorbitantly expensive than TARP)?

As with the propriety of the word “un-American,” not to mention certain other subjects, Hope has brought much Change.

Sixty-one percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday oppose providing more government money in the financial bailout. There are some supporters, however — 38 percent said the government should provide more assistance to ailing banks and other financial institutions…

“Barack Obama may have something to do with the vote,” said Holland. “Democratic leaders in the Senate may not have been eager for a showdown with the president-elect. The public would have been squarely on Obama’s side. Sixty-two percent in the poll say they trust Obama more than Democratic Congressional leaders.”…

The poll also suggests that 50 percent of those questioned believe Republicans are more responsible for the economic problems facing the country right now. Less than a quarter of the respondents said Democrats are more to blame, and one in five said both parties are equally at fault.

If you missed the NYT’s piece on nationalization this morning in Headlines, read it now. Dirty little secret: The government already owns Citigroup, more or less. Exit question: Would things be significantly different if the GOP controlled Congress? The pricetags might be lower but this piece at the American Thinker about the incentives pols face at a moment of crisis rings true. Unless you’re a hardcore ideologue like Ron Paul, it’s exceptionally hard to do the principled thing in this case — that is, to do nothing. If you act and fail, at least you tried; if you don’t act and fail, you’re negligent. What’s a career politician worried about reelection to do?