Wall Street Journal/NBC,MCCain has cause for hope...?

 Highlights from the article

  "Americans can visualize John McCain behind the desk in the Oval Office"

Rarely have the stars aligned so squarely against the party in power in elections for the White House as it has for Republicans, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll bears out. Ultimately, voters choose a person for president, not a party, and Sen. John McCain seems to give Republicans a fighting chance.

Of 10 attributes measured in the poll, Sen. McCain scored highest for "being knowledgeable and experienced enough to handle the presidency." Nearly two-thirds of voters agreed -- up 12 points from December, when both parties' nominating races were getting under way. His next-highest ratings, from 61%, were for strong leadership and for readiness to be commander in chief.

In the Democrats' marathon, Sen. Clinton leads Sen. Obama nationally among Democratic voters by just 47% to 43%. That is down from her 16-point, 53% to 37% lead in the previous Journal/NBC poll in January -- before Sen. Obama's February winning streak that she finally snapped with candidacy-saving victories March 4 in Ohio and Texas.

In the poll's 10 measures of voters' attitudes toward the candidates, Sen. Obama's big advantage on personal traits and hers on political attributes "explains why this race is still so close," Mr. McInturff said. Sen. Clinton scores highest for knowledge and experience, while that question elicits Sen. Obama's lowest rating. Conversely, his best score comes on the question where she rates worst-for "being easy-going and likable."

Despite Sen. Clinton's heightened attacks on Sen. Obama's readiness to be president, the percentage of Democrats who say he'd be a good commander in chief surged 16 points, to 59%, from January's poll. She is so-rated by 64%. While Sen. Clinton's scores stayed about the same from January's poll, Sen. Obama also rose 20 points, to 72% among Democrats, on ability to bring change; that compares with her 58%. He was up 17 points, to 73%, on being inspirational -- 21 points higher than his rival.