There's a very strange article in the Times this morning on the political attitudes of young people. It starts with the headline: New Poll Finds That Young Americans Are Leaning Left.

So far, so good. Youthful idealism, but not exactly breaking news.

By the numbers, it turns out that young people are less conservative than the average American and more liberal than the average American. But just when you begin to think this means something, the breakdown is offered: 28 percent describe themselves as liberal and 27 percent describe themselves as conservative.

A one point difference. And both groups were outnumbered by people who didn't know where they stood.

And get this:

...The poll also found that they are more likely to say the war in Iraq is heading to a successful conclusion.

And this on who could be president:

...[T]hey said that they did not believe Americans would elect someone who had used cocaine or someone who was a Mormon.

A weird juxtaposition.

A better headline for this story might have been, New Poll Finds That Young Americans are Ill-Informed and All Over The Map Politically. Just like the rest of us, but in their own way.