Taking A Look At The Numbers: To July 30th, 2008

In what could only be considered a surprise for the Obama Campaign recent polls show that he has not benefited from a leap in his poll numbers following his whirlwind world tour, still trailing Senator McCain on Foreign Policy and National Security Issues

Among registered voters a month ago Senator Obama lead Senator McCain by 6 points, today it is narrowed to 4 points a drop of two percent among a sampling size almost three times the size of the poll conducted by CNN. But in the USA Today/Gallup look at likely voters, those deemed more likely to turn out to vote on election day, McCain took a 4 point lead over Senator Obama, 49 percent to the Illinois Senator's 45 percent, demonstrating that the race is far from over.

By Citizen Correspondent Wyatt McIntyre

Date Posted: 07/30/08

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It has to be, at least, a minor set back...He may have received overwhelming and warm receptions in some key stops but in the first poll done entirely after his return to the United States after his whirlwind world tour that included stops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Israel and Germany Presumptive Democratic Nominee and Illinois Senator Barack Obama is finding that it isn't translating into support for him at home on international issues.

In many senses it was suppose to be his foreign policy coup, his attempt to look every bit the part of a president and find a commanding presidential voice on international issues and national security, but as the latest CNN/Opinion Research Survey seems to say, it hasn't entirely worked out that way.

Still leading Arizona Senator and Presumptive Republican Nominee John McCain with a seven point spread between the two, that number, almost unchanged from their last survey. The significance is though that if Obama were to have distanced his lead more than the 2 percent increase he has seen from a month ago, an increase that was in the polls margin of error of plus/minus 3 percent, it would have been considerably narrowing the gap on foreign policy issues. Yet, according to the numbers that just didn't happen.

Holding a 15 point lead over Senator Obama, 56 percent of Americans identified Senator McCain as the candidate best equipped to deal with the issue of terrorism. On Iraq a margin of difference just under half that but still showing McCain as the strong favorite, 52 percent choosing the Arizona Senator over his principle rival, 45 percent selecting him as their candidate of choice on the issue of the war. Even the issue of Afghanistan, one made a major issue in Senator Obama's recent major foreign policy speeches, has yielded better results for McCain, offering a 10 point spread between the two.

As has been the case throughout this election, Senator Obama's lead in the polls comes from trust not on the international theater but rather on the domestic stage.

With a tough economic situation at home more eyes are turn to the current American landscape rather than abroad to determine their selection as president.