Kerry-Edwards over Bush-Cheney by 50% to 42%

ABC buries this way down but Bush-Cheney is in very bad shape vs. a Kerry-Edwards ticket.

At 46%, the President’s approval rating on handling Iraq is just one point above his lowest mark in this area, 45%, which he received last December just before Saddam Hussein’s capture.

A majority of Americans continues to believe the Bush Administration exaggerated the intelligence it received about weapons of mass destruction to build support for the war. 59% say the administration exaggerated intelligence findings, while a third (32%) thinks the Administration interpreted the intelligence information accurately.

Even though Americans think the administration exaggerated intelligence to build support for the war, many believe there are still weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. 52% think Iraq probably does have weapons of mass destruction that the U.S. hasn’t found yet. 39% believe Iraq does not have such weapons.

Americans continue to doubt whether the outcome of the war was worth the costs. 52% say the war was not worth the loss of American life and other costs of attacking Iraq, while 42% say it was worth it.

Thinking back, more Americans now say Iraq was a threat that could have been contained than one that needed immediate military action. 46% say Iraq was threat that could have been contained, and 40% say Iraq was a threat that required immediate military action. 12% say Iraq was not a threat at all.

Both Kerry and Edwards have gained in public favorability since the Democratic campaign began. More Americans hold favorable views of both men than have unfavorable ones. Meanwhile, perceptions of the President have slipped since last year. His approval rating has fallen below 50% for the first time in this poll: 47% of Americans now approve of the way the President is handling his job, while 44% disapprove.

Kerry will have a Super Tuesday.

Super Tuesday voters Kerry 61%, Edwards 15%.