Dare To Prepare

DENVER - M. Obama did what she needed to do. She let viewers in on her very "regular" life. She loves the Brady Bunch, Christmas - and her country. More important, while she may be a celebrity now, her mom and brother told us, she never forgot where she came from. Telling her story (and her husband's) is a big piece of the puzzle for voters who still say they aren't comfortable w/him. But it's not Obama's biggest hurdle.

-- The latest Diageo/Hotline poll shows Obama's problem isn't that voters see him as elitist. In fact, Obama beats out McCain by 9 pts on who's "in touch with" average Americans. Among those who rate both as being "a great deal" in touch, Obama's ahead by 15 pts.

-- Not surprisingly, their bigger concern is - say it with us- Obama's inexperience. Just 58% say they think Obama's "prepared" to lead the country, compared to 74% who say this about McCain. Among non-college white voters (those so-called "invisible Americans"), just 52% think he's ready.

-- Can Biden help him here? Maybe. But at this point he's still relatively undefined (just over 50% can rate him). And, 2/3 of voters say that he won't have much effect on their vote.