Why is this happening? I think it's not (or at least not only) for the reason right-wingers will give you. I'll explain below.

Poll: American Support for War Inches Up

American support for the war in Iraq has risen somewhat as the White House has continued to ask the public to reserve judgment about the war until General David Petraeus files his report in the fall.

In a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted over the weekend, 42 percent of Americans said taking military action in Iraq was the right thing to do, while 51 percent said the United States should have stayed out of Iraq.

Support had been at all time low in May, when only 35 percent of Americans said the United States’ involvement in Iraq was the right thing and 61 percent said the United States should have stayed out....

You know why I think support for the war was lower in May? Because we were in the thick of the fight over immigration, and Bush cultists felt disillusioned with their saintly hero -- in fact, the Times asked respondents about immigration and Iraq in one big May poll (PDF). I suspect right-wingers felt freer to be cranky about the war, because they were feuding with Bush at the time.

Now all that's over, and I suspect righties are reverting to knee-jerk approval of the president again. We'll have to wait until the Times posts the complete results, but that's my guess. (I think approval for Bush may inch up as well -- and as I've said before, any improvement in his standings will also be because the immigration fight is over.)

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UPDATE: Or perhaps not -- see my update.