New WaPo poll on Obama/Romney gives both sides hope

If you go by the theory that it's the economy (stupid) that will decide this election (and why wouldn't you?), then the poll gives Mitt Romney and his supporters something to grasp as they begin to start pivoting from his "severe conservative" positions he's felt he's had to take in order to win the GOP nomination.

Romney has always benefited from his reputation at Bain Capital as being a "turnaround artist," a guy who knows business and thus will do the same for an economy that is still stalled, some two-and-a-half years after the recession officially ended (forget the fact that as governor of Massachusetts, the Bay State was 47th in job creation).

On who is better at handling the economy in the new poll, Romney leads Obama 47-43 percent.

On handling the deficit, Romney leads Obama 51-38, the only question in the survey where he has a double-digit lead.

And on energy, Romney's up 47-42.

Everything else, President Obama has a small or substantial edge over his probable Republican challenger.

But there is a lifetime of events, some of which we have no idea about at this time, that will occur over the next half-year that could and possibly will change these numbers.

But one thing is clear: Mitt Romney is coming out of this race a bruised candidate, with a lot of ground to make up to show people he's not as phony as he comes across.

Barack Obama has to hope that the economy continues to show the modest gains that have occurred over the past six months or so.