Polling Update........

An Washington Post/ABC News tracking poll unveils itself today: Barack Obama is ahead by nine points, 53 to 44%.  McCain is doing better in some metrics, but so has Obama: the enthusiasm gap is 15 points (64% to 49%).  No Joe The Plumber effect (so far).  More than half of voters say that McCain's vice president pick made them less comfortable with his judgment. The D to R differential is seven percentage points.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp survey shows some partisan hardening in favor of John McCain, but Barack Obama still leads by his national average (+6%) among likely voters, and he is above 50%. McCain is seen as unfairly attacking -- a metric the McCain campaign doesn't really care about. Obama is also seen as the "stronger" leader.

A CBS News follow-up survey of likely voters finds gains for Obama during the debates. Among a group that gave Barack Obama a five point lead before the debates now gives him a 13 point lead. Obama's net favorable rating is 53%; McCain's negative rating is 45% -- his favorable rating is nine points lower. About as many voters believe that McCain would raise their taxes (53%) as Obama. (51%).