Poll: Obama Ahead Overall But McCain Viewed As More Patriotic

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has a narrow lead over Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) nationwide, according to the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

The freshman Illinois senator is ahead of McCain, 50% to 45%, but his lead disappears if third-party contenders Libertarian candidate Bob Barr and Independent Ralph Nader are considered. In a four-way race, Obama and McCain are statistically even with 46% and 43%. The poll's margin of error is 3.5%.

The survey also found that the presumptive Republican nominee trounces Obama when it comes to patriotism, an issue rife in the campaign trail with Wes Clark's controversial comments about McCain's war record and the Fourth of July holiday coming up. A quarter of all voters said Obama lacks patriotism, while 90% believed McCain was patriotic.

The results are based on interviews of 906 registered voters on June 26-29.