From the Real Clear Politics
Blog:
Barack Obama is feeling pretty sure of himself these days. Even before he has secured the nomination, Mr. Obama is spending as much time parrying John McCain's attacks as Hillary Clinton's. This week, for instance, Messrs. McCain and Obama got into it over the Iraq war and the presence of al Qaeda in Iraq, perhaps offering voters a preview of the coming fall blockbuster.
In fact, the general election could begin as early as next week if Mrs. Clinton loses the big March 4 primaries and drops out, and it could be a sizzler. A new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll released this week shows Mr. McCain holding a slight lead over Mr. Obama (44% to 42%), though the result is well within the survey's margin of error.
That Mr. McCain puts up such a strong showing ought
to worry Democrats, especially since the political atmospherics continue to
favor their party this year. Even more worrisome, however, are the poll's
internal findings, which show that although Mr. McCain is not necessarily
conservatives' choice for president, he might be the best choice for
Republicans.
Those troubling signs for Democrats include the following:
When it comes to independent voters, Mr. McCain more than holds his own with Mr. Obama (41% to 39%); on the question of who could best manage the economy, which a plurality of respondents consider the most important issue, Mr. McCain holds an eight-point lead (42% to 34%); on the question of leadership, Mr. McCain has a six-point lead; on illegal immigration, Mr. McCain has an 11-point lead (40% to 29%); on Iraq, Mr. McCain has a 13-point lead (47% to 34%); on protecting the country from terrorism, Mr. McCain has a 37-point lead (58% to 21%); and on the question of experience, Mr. McCain has a 31-point lead (53% to 22%).
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