Still more bad news for John McCain, this time in a new Rassmussen poll.

It finds that his approval rating has plummeted below the 50% mark for the first time during this campaign, to 48%. That's down from 55% in April and the peak of 59% in December. This sinking popularity among across-the-board voters, Rasmussen theorizes, is due to his increasing identification with the unpopular war.

One potential bright spot for McCain, at least for the GOP primary: The poll finds that more and more voters are seeing him as a conservative. Forty five percent thought this in May's Rasmussen poll, up from 26% in December. Perhaps less voters are seeing the old "maverick" McCain and now are seeing the one who's now working overtime to win the affections of the right.