US:BARACK OBAMA holds a commanding lead over John McCain on the economy, identified by voters as their top priority in the US presidential election, but doubts remain over the Democrat's national security credentials, according to a new poll.
A Washington Post/ABC Newspoll gives Mr Obama an eight- point lead over his Republican rival among all voters, although the gap shrinks to just three points among likely voters.
Mr Obama's supporters are more enthusiastic, more voters trust him on domestic issues and two out of three believe he is best placed to restore the image of the United States in the world.
By a margin of two to one, however, Americans say that Mr McCain is more knowledgeable about world affairs and the Republican leads Mr Obama by 50 to 41 in confidence about handling a major crisis.
The poll comes as Mr Obama prepares for a tour of the Middle East and Europe designed to improve his foreign policy credentials and to persuade Americans that he is a credible commander-in-chief.
Speaking in Indiana yesterday, the Democrat warned against "fighting the last war" and promised to focus on emerging nuclear, biological and cyber threats if elected president. Mr Obama said that the US should adhere to all nuclear non-proliferation treaties if it wanted to prevent emerging powers from developing nuclear weapons and to secure "loose nukes" throughout the world.
"It's time to send a clear message to the world: America seeks a world with no nuclear weapons. As long as nuclear weapons exist, we'll retain a strong deterrent. But we will make the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons a central element in our nuclear policy," he said.
"By keeping our commitment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, we'll be in a better position to rally international support to bring pressure to bear on nations like North Korea and Iran that violate it."
Despite Mr Obama's clear lead on domestic issues and the unpopularity of President George Bush and Republicans in Congress, the presidential race remains close. This owes much to doubts about Mr Obama's experience, particularly his ability to deal with national security and international issues. Forty-nine per cent of voters say his level of experience would hamper his ability to serve effectively as president, while 40 per cent believe it would help.
Although Mr Obama has made gains in recent weeks among key groups of swing voters, including white women, Catholics and independents, almost one in four Democrats who backed Hillary Clinton now say they will vote for Mr McCain. Another worrying sign for Mr Obama is a slide in enthusiasm among young voters who, along with African-Americans, have been his most enthusiastic supporters.
Just 46 per cent of voters between 18 and 29 now say they are certain to vote in November, compared to 66 per cent in March - a slump some analysts attribute to Mr Obama's recent policy shifts.
A New York Times poll yesterday found that black voters remain overwhelmingly wedded to Mr Obama, supporting him over Mr McCain by a margin of 89 per cent to 2 per cent. Among whites, Mr Obama has 37 per cent of the vote, compared with 46 per cent for Mr McCain.
Addressing the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) yesterday, Mr McCain said he hoped to earn the support of African-Americans and lavished praise on Mr Obama.
"Don't tell him I said this, but he is an impressive fellow in many ways. He has inspired a great many Americans, some of whom had wrongly believed that a political campaign could hold no purpose or meaning for them. His success should make Americans, all Americans, proud," he said.
"Of course, I would prefer his success not continue quite as long as he hopes. But it makes me proud to know the country I've loved and served all my life is still a work in progress, and always improving. Senator Obama talks about making history, and he's made quite a bit of it already."