Statistical Dead Heat

For the second day in a row, Gallup's tracking poll of voter preference shows Barack and McCain running near even.

At the start of the long summer in which John McCain and Barack Obama will hone their messages and strive to fill their campaign coffers before the crucial fall campaign season, the two are nearly tied in national voter preferences, 46% for Obama and 44% for McCain.

Rasmussen, meanwhile, shows a seven point lead for Barack in its tracking poll.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows Barack Obama attracting 47% of the vote while John McCain earns 40%. When "leaners" are included, Obama leads 49% to 42%. These results show a slight uptick for Obama since he formally opted out of public funding for the Presidential campaign this fall.

Ominous for Barack? Most Americans don't think he feels good about America.

New data released today shows that 63% of voters think McCain views U.S. society as generally fair and decent. Forty-five percent (45%) believe Obama holds that same view.