Democratic Prez nomination race: Obama a little behind Hillary

WASHINGTON: In an indication that the Democratic Presidential nomination race is far from over with any one candidate running away with the prize so early, a latest poll is showing that Illinois Senator Barack Obama has pulled close to front-runner, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows Obama trailing Clinton by just five percentage point, 36 per cent to 31 per cent. The 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards runs a solid third with 20 per cent respondents supporting him. Last month Obama lagged behind by 12 percentage points.

Another indication of the national mood is that in the showdown between the White House and Congressional Democrats over establishing a time-line for withdrawing US troops from Iraq, the latest poll shows that most Americans (56 per cent) side with Congress.

The Republicans led by none other than the President and the Vice President have been slamming Senate Majority leader Harry Reid for characterising the war as 'lost'.     

But the survey has suggested that Americans by and large are with Senator Reid, a 55 per cent say that victory in Iraq is no longer possible while 36 per cent think victory remains within reach.

Obama leads Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, a steadfast supporter of the war effort, by 45 per cent to 39 per cent. That's a reversal from December, when McCain led by 43 per cent to 38 per cent.

The 2008 Presidential nomination and the final race comes with history making potential - Senator Clinton could be the first woman President and Senator Obama the first African-American.