HILLARY CLINTON, PRE-TARNISHED

I don't have much to add to what everyone else is already telling you about the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, which shows that Obama isn't slipping much (even post-Wright, 60 percent of all voters think he could unite the country, which puts him 12 points ahead of McCain and 14 points ahead of Clinton, and he's 2 points ahead of McCain in a head-to-head matchup, while Clinton is 2 behind) -- but I am struck by the slippage in Clinton's favorable rating. It's down to 37%.

A little perspective: According to the PDF of the poll's results, George W. Bush's approval rating is only 4 points lower -- 33%.

I guess, by 21st-century standards, that makes her more "presidential."

*****

By the way, Jeralyn Merritt, discussing the poll's results on the nomination matchup, has this wrong:

The new NBC/WSJ poll (pdf) out today has Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tied at 45%. The margin of error is 3.7%. The poll was of all registered voters, not just Democrats.

Well, yes, Jeralyn, the overall poll was of all voters, but the nomination-fight matchup question is clearly labeled:

(ASK ONLY OF RESPONDENTS WHO SAY THEY ARE A DEMOCRAT IN Q.4a OR THAT THEY WOULD VOTE OR HAVE VOTED IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY IN Q.4c OR Q.4d.)

So these numbers are legit.