WASHINGTON, Feb 26: Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama is better poised to beat Republican John McCain in the general election than his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, say various surveys released on Tuesday. A nationwide CBS/New York Times survey also showed that 54 per cent Democrats prefer Senator Obama to be the party’s nominee while 38 per cent favour Senator Hillary Clinton.

It’s the first time Mr Obama moved ahead of Mrs Clinton nationally in a major poll.

An Associated Press/Ipsos poll puts the two in a virtual tie nationally with Mrs Clinton taking 43 per cent and Mr Obama 46 per cent. The survey also showed that Senator Obama is making strides in the Clinton territory: white men and self-identified liberals.

In a Quinnipiac University poll of 741 likely Democratic voters, Mr Obama narrowed a 21-point margin in Ohio on Feb 14 to a 9-point deficit in a Feb 18-23 poll. Mr Obama trailed Senator Clinton 41 per cent to 50 per cent.

An assessment of recent polls in Ohio by Chicago-based Real-Clear-Politics surveyors, however, puts Mr Clinton ahead by 8.6 percentage points.

In Texas, Mrs Clinton’s lead has diminished even further. In a Feb 24 poll by Rasmussen Reports, Senator Clinton leads by only one percentage point: 46 percent to 45 per cent. And 9 per cent remain undecided, well within the 4 per cent margin of error.

Mrs Clinton, however, is still viewed among Democrats as better prepared than Mr Obama to be president.

But among voters of both parties, Senator McCain is perceived as better prepared to handle an international crisis and serve as commander in chief than either Mr Obama or Mrs Clinton.