OBAMA LEADS BY SIX

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday

WASHINGTON -- Democrat Barack Obama has a 6-point lead over Republican John McCain in the presidential race as a growing percentage of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday.

Obama leads McCain by 47 percent to 41 percent for the November 4 election, unchanged from last month. But 55 percent believed Obama, a 46-year-old first-term Illinois senator, would be the riskier choice for president, while 35 percent said that of McCain, 71, a fourth-term Arizona senator, the poll said.

But Obama's message of change may resonate with a disgruntled electorate after eight years of a Republican-run White House. Only 13 percent of those polled believed the country was headed in the right direction. That was the lowest percentage on this question in the NBC/Journal poll's history.

The sagging economy remains the public's top concern, but voters do not have much confidence in either candidate on that issue, with 28 percent saying they had faith Obama could put it back on track, while 17 percent said that of McCain.

Obama's lead over McCain expands to 13 points when third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr are included, with Obama at 48 percent, McCain at 35 percent, Nader at 5 percent and Barr at 2 percent, the poll said.

The survey of 1,003 registered voters was conducted July 18-21, during Obama's trip to the Middle East and Europe. It had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.