The professional odds-makers favor Barack Obama two-to-one to win the election. It's no wonder. Americans overwhelmingly believe the country is on the wrong track. They can't stand the current Republican occupant of the White House. The economy is weak and shows little sign of getting significantly stronger before the election. The country is fighting an unpopular war. And Obama, as he reminds us every time he opens his mouth, is all about "change."
tical tie within the margin of error. And Obama is losing his advantage in key battleground states.
average Americans aren't yet convinced Obama's "change" is what they need. When it comes to identifying with the candidates'

That became apparent in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Voters were asked which economic issue affects them the most personally. The answer is energy. And in the Quinnipiac University surveys of four battleground states this month, voters in each state indicated that energy policy is more important to them than the Iraq war.
The Journal writes: "New data indicate Americans are conserving energy with a fervor not seen since the oil shocks of the 1970s and 1980s." In other words, they are personally involved, perhaps making lifestyle changes in their use of energy.
fall election.

House Republicans on Thursday turned back Democratic efforts to force a release of three days worth of crude oil from the nation's strategic reserve in an attempt to temporarily relieve gas prices. However, by allowing the vote on the energy bill to emerge under rules requiring a two-thirds vote for passage, Democrats kept the Republicans from introducing a bill to permit offshore drilling where it now is banned. "They're hiding from a vote," said U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio. "They're scared to death to allow us to ... force their members to vote on drilling." Wall Street Journal, The (subscription required) (07/24) Bloomberg (07/24)
Democrats try to force oil production from leases
l short on drilling measure

WaPo's Howard Kurtz sums up the media coverage of Barack Obama's week abroad; what the trip meant for the candidate and the press following him.
...even as the likes of NBC's Andrea Mitchell and ABC's Jake Tapper rose to press the Democratic candidate on Tuesday, television viewers back home heard nothing but faint voices in the wind. The journalists weren't miked; only Obama's answers came through loud and clear. That may have been unintentional, but it underscored the degree to which Obama has controlled the message...
edia 2007

The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll underscores what many of us already know about the most critical issue in this election — and it’s not Iraq. Energy and fuel prices dominate the electoral choice for voters this fall, thanks to the sharp cost increase in just about everything connected with transportation. And while Democrats have an edge in this area, it has sharply eroded:
Congress will likely break for the summer without passing legislation to curb high gasoline prices. But Americans are fashioning their own energy policy, founded on conservation and support for more production.
d in a January poll by The Wall Street Journal and NBC News.

Regardless of how the presidential preferential primary election ended, the election that will have the biggest impact on November’s general election is the primary election.
This year, the primary election for county, state and national offices is July 29.
re no ballots for independents in this election, except in Comanche. They are having a special election.

Veteran political consultant Don Rose cautions against reading too much into polls, especially this early in the presidential contest.
By: Don Rose | July 24, 2008 | 08:45 AM (PDT) | [commentBubble.jpg] Comments
who's behind, who's gaining, who's slipping — and why.

*** Obama’s election to win: How important has this overseas trip been for Obama? Look no further than our latest NBC/WSJ poll, which has Obama leading