Poll: Obama Ahead By Nine Points, But Iraq Verdict Unclear
The new Quinnipiac poll gives Barack Obama a 50%-41% lead over John McCain among likely voters, beyond the ±2.4% margin of error. But the poll has mixed news on Iraq: Respondents say by a 59%-34% margin that the war was the wrong thing to do, but on the other hand they say 51%-43% that troops should be kept there without a fixed date for withdrawal.

Obama To Give Speech This Morning On Iraq And Security
Barack Obama will be in Washington this morning, where he will give a major speech on Iraq scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Obama will condemn the war as a distraction from the true fight against Al Qaeda, according to pre-released excerpts, putting the national-security issue right back at John McCain: "It is unacceptable that almost seven years after nearly 3,000 Americans were killed on our soil, the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 are still at large."

McCain In New Mexico Today, Hitting Obama On Security
John McCain will be campaigning today in the swing state of New Mexico, where he will rebut Obama's national security speech. "And I note that he is speaking today about his plans for Iraq and Afghanistan before he has even left, before he has talked to General Petraeus, before he has seen the progress in Iraq, and before he has set foot in Afghanistan for the first time," McCain will say, according to a pre-released excerpt.

Another Poll Has Mixed News On Iraq
The new ABC/Washington Post poll shows that the public is evenly divided on the question of what do in Iraq, with 50% wanting a timetable for withdrawal and 49% opposed. John McCain has a 47%-45% lead over Barack Obama on who is trusted more to handle the situation, within the ±3% margin of error.

NYT: Comedians Having A Tough Time With Obama
In the wake of the flap surrounding the New Yorker cover, the New York Times explores how comedians have had problems finding an angle to go after Barack Obama. One problem is he is simply too earnest and gaffe-free to be easily lampooned, but an executive producer for David Letterman pointed to another factor: "Anything that has even a whiff of being racist, no one is going to laugh."

Poll: The Only Vulnerable Dem Senator Leads Her Opponent
In a further sign of how barren the map is this year for Senate Republicans, a new Rasmussen poll of Louisiana gives Senator Mary Landrieu -- probably the only vulnerable Democrat this cycle -- a 51%-45% lead over Republican candidate John Kennedy with a ±4.5% margin of error. This is despite the fact that John McCain has a 56%-37% lead over Barack Obama here, meaning that Landrieu is able to get a very high number of ticket-splitters.