Clinton, McCain lead in new national polls

By Michael J.W. Stickings

TMV's Joe Gandelman has an excellent post up on the latest national polls.

On the Republican side, McCain is well ahead of Huckabee, Giuliani, Romney, and Thompson, according to a new CBS/NYT poll, with 33 percent support.

On the Democratic side, Clinton is well ahead of Obama, with Edwards way behind, according to the CBS/NYT poll, 42-27. A new ABC/WaPo poll has the race much closer, with Clinton ahead of Obama 42-37.

The best advice: Don't pay too much attention to polls. If anything, there are broad trends to watch.

On the Republican side, New Hampshire has boosted McCain into the lead. Giuliani is fading. Huckabee may do well in some of the more conservative states, but Romney still has the money and the ground campaign to remain a contender.

On the Democratic side, Edwards has fallen well back and will likely drop out soon. The questions are: Who will we support? Where will his support go? Perhaps to Obama. Either way, the race is tight. Clinton may be ahead in the national polls, and likely not by all that much, but it is a two-person race now, and the outcome is unclear.

And remember: These are national polls. They don't mean much. And the numbers will continue to change as more and more states hold their votes, as momentum is picked up and lost, and as the media have their say.