A year ago, it seemed like the Iraq War was going to be the predominant issue in the Presidential Election and that, because of the public’s overwhelming opposition, the Republicans would be on the losing end.

Times, it seems have changed:

American public support for the military effort in Iraq has reached a high point unseen since the summer of 2006, a development that promises to reshape the political landscape. According to late February polling conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 53 percent of Americans — a slim majority — now believe “the U.S. will ultimately succeed in achieving its goals” in Iraq. That figure is up from 42 percent in September 2007. The percentage of those who believe the war in Iraq is going “very well” or “fairly well” is also up, from 30 percent in February 2007 to 48 percent today.

The potential impact of this shift in public opinion on the Presidential race is quite obvious. The anti-war/withdraw the troops now position that both Clinton and Obama have taken and don’t seem likely to change may come to be out of line with what the public thinks, and that, along with their other obvious deficiencies in the foreign policy area could hurt either one of them in November:

Almost half of registered voters now believe it is “very likely” that McCain would be an “effective commander in chief,” according to CBS polling. Less than one-quarter said the same of Obama and Clinton. In addition, CBS found that a clear majority of Americans were “confident” that McCain could “handle an international crisis” — 56 percent said so for McCain, 47 percent for Obama and only 39 percent for Clinton.

And while the Democrats spend the next six weeks fighting, McCain can start honing that message for November.