Obama is dominating the news but still hasn't pulled out of sight in the polls

As Barack Obama prepares for his speech in Berlin this evening, his campaign must be delighted with how his overseas tour has gone so far. Obama has got through the Afghan, Iraqi, Jordanian and Israeli legs of the trip without making any gaffes and has dominated the news coverage all week while the visuals have helped Obama in his quest to look presidential. However, two new polls out today show that McCain is hanging on in there.

In the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, McCain trails by six points. In some respects, this is a comfortable lead for Obama but it is quite an achievement for McCain to be that close when only 13 percent of Americans think the country is on the right track, a record low. However, there is a huge enthusiasm gap with 44 percent of Obama supporters feeling excited about their candidate and 43 percent of McCain backers calling him the lesser of two evils. The extent to which the election is about Obama is illustrated by the fact that 51 percent of voters say they are mostly thinking about what kind of president Obama would be compared to just 27 percent who say the same of McCain.

The McCain camp, though, will take comfort from his continued lead on national security with McCain holding a 53 to 25 advantage on who would make the better commander in chief and a 46-28 lead on who would best handle the war in Afghanistan. However, the economy is still the top issue for voters and here the Democrats have a significant advantage.

Obama is still in the driving seat in this election. But the race is far from over. 

Another poll out today shows McCain running better in various key swing states. In Colorado, he had edged into a lead and in Michigan and Minnesota, both states Kerry won in 2004, McCain is only four points behind. Last month, the same poll had him down by 17 in Minnesota.