Obama leads McCain 51 - 36

According to the latest Newsweek poll, Democrats have pulled together after the contentious primary season this year and are ready to rally behind Barack Obama:

In the previous NEWSWEEK Poll, completed in late May when Clinton was still fighting him hard for the Democratic nomination, Obama managed no better than a 46 percent tie with McCain. But as pollster Larry Hugick points out, that may have had a lot to do with all the mutual mudslinging going on between the two Democrats. By contrast, in recent weeks Clinton has not only endorsed Obama but has made plans to campaign with him. "They were in a pitched battle, and that's going to impact things. Now that we've gotten away from that period, this is the kind of bounce they've been talking about," said Hugick.

The poll results also reflect a large party-identification advantage for Democrats as we head into the general election. 55% of all voters call themselves Democrats or say they lean toward the party while just 36% call themselves Republicans or lean that way.