Was it possible in its write-up of the most recent awful Palin polling results for the Post to soft-pedal the bad news any more gently?

Here is basically the entire item [emphasis added]:

Sarah Palin continues to be a political lightning rod - drawing intensely negative reviews from liberal Democrats and far more positive assessments from conservative Republicans, according to a new Washington Post poll.

The new numbers come as the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate headlines the kick-off of a cross-country rally for the “tea party” movement. She's popular among the movement's backers, garnering a 60 percent favorable rating among those who view the tea party favorably. And she gets even higher marks from conservative Republicans, checking in at 71 percent in the new poll.

These numbers contrast with far lower ratings in other groups. Overall, 55 percent of Americans say they view her unfavorably, matching the high in Post-ABC polls since the 2008 GOP convention. Her unfavorable rating peaks among liberal Democrats at 85 percent.

For the record, Palin's overall favorable rating now stands at a miserable 35 percent, which is never spelled out in the piece.

Meanwhile, I guess “lightning rod” is the new euphemism for “unpopular.” And second, the Post ignored how independents feel about Palin. The Post couched the story as, 'Boy Democrats don't like Palin, but Republicans sure do.' But the Post also polled independents and guess what? They dislike Palin just as much as Democrats.

The Post didn't think that was worth mentioning, though.