The New York Times/CBS poll released this evening said that Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton nationally among Democrats by 54 percent to 38 percent with a 5 point margin of error. That comes on the heels of a USA Today/Gallup poll showing Obama ahead by a similar 51 percent to 39 percent margin, with a 3 percent margin of error. The Times/CBS poll was conducted Feb.20-24, while the USA Today/Gallup survey was done Feb.21-24. (See an earlier post for an interesting twist on the differences between the USA Today/Gallup finding, and Gallup’s own daily tracking poll).

Some headlines from the Times/CBS poll:

– Asked who had the best chance of beating John McCain in November, 59 percent said Obama and 28 percent said Clinton.
– Nearly two thirds of Democrats said they considered Obama to be the likely Democratic nominee.
– Obama has caught up to Clinton in support among women voters while building a large lead among men.
– Among all registered voters, Obama won a general electionm match-up against McCain 50 percent to 38 percent, while Clinton tied McCain at 46 percent each.

Polls in Texas and Ohio, which vote March 4, also contained troubling news for Clinton today. Check them out here.