In a word: According to National Journal’s PollTrack, four new surveys on the Iraq conflict suggest that wording — “mistake” vs. “worth it” — can make a difference in the answers to poll questions about the war.

In a CNN/Gallup/USA Today survey in mid-December, 52% of respondents said they felt the war was a mistake, a 4-point gain from earlier in the month.

A 49% plurality of respondents to a new Associated Press/Ipsos Public Affairs poll said the same — 42% said the U.S. made the right decision in going to war.

But does the word “mistake” change the connotations of the question? ABC News/Washington Post pollsters suggest that 47% of respondents think the war was worth fighting — just 6 points less than those who don’t think the conflict was worth its costs. It’s a similar split to the “mistake” questions, but the split is dramatically narrower than it was in early November, when 38% said the war was worth it and 60% said it wasn’t.

New numbers from Zogby are even closer, with 51% saying the war wasn’t worth its costs, compared to 49% saying it was. That’s roughly the same as an early December survey that put 49% on each side.

Another question from CNN/Gallup/USA Today pollsters showed Americans frowning on recent reports that the government paid Iraqi newspapers to publish favorable stories about the United States — 72% said it was inappropriate. About 4 in 10 said it would bother them a great deal if the charges were true; 24% said it would trouble them a fair amount, and 36% said it wouldn’t bother them much or at all.