OBAMARAMA

A new TIME Magazine poll has some significant news for the Democratic presidential candidates, including that, “while a vast majority of voters (65%) think the Democrats will probably win the 2008 presidential election,” in head-to-head match-ups with actual Republicans only one Democrat consistently comes out on top.

Guess who?

This finding is borne out at an interesting website, Pollster.com, which synthesizes major polls and produces a graphic depiction of the candidates’ viability that incorporates all the results.

According to their analysis, Sen. Obama is within less than a percentage point of Giuliani, bests Sen. McCain by 2 points, and smacks Mitt Romney around harder than any other Democrat. In contrast, both Sen. Clinton and John Edwards lose to both Giuliani (by at least 3.4 points) and McCain in the match-ups.

As TIME notes, “these match-ups may say more about Clinton’s weakness as a general election candidate than they do about the Democratic field.” I know it’s early to put much stock in polling — but it’s never too early to think about your best bet in the general election.

That’s the great thing about Sen. Obama’s candidacy: you can vote your conscience AND be practical at the same time. Shocking, I know. Refusing to compromise your principles is actually the pragmatic thing to do?

It’s a phenomenon that any uninspired Gore voter who liked what Nader was saying can appreciate — the chance to vote your ideals without wondering if you’re throwing away your vote. Or as a poster at DraftObama aptly dubs the concept, “The Practicality of Hope.”

(Hat tip to reader BVH for the Pollster info.)