MORNING READ

With Barack Obama way ahead of John McCain in the latest CBS/New York Times and Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg national polls, liberal bloggers declare that McCain’s strategy of attacking Obama’s character has backfired. One conservative blogger urges McCain to stay on the offensive, while another questions whether McCain is being all that negative. The Tory victory in Canada gives conservative bloggers something to crow about.

Obama leads 53 percent to 39 percent in the CBS/New York Times poll and 50 percent to 41 percent in the Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey. Those results echo others that show Obama with a majority of support, and they suggest red states such as Georgia, Montana and North Dakota could vote Democratic this year, writes kos. The polls show that McCain, who unleashed guilt-by-association attacks in recent weeks, is losing on character issues, as he has a favorability rating of just 41 percent in the CBS survey, writes Poltical Animal’s Steve Benen. Obama’s also winning when it comes to issues; more voters believe that McCain, not Obama, would raise taxes, notes TPM Election Central’s Eric Kleefeld.

But the only way for McCain to win this year is by making the election about Obama, so the Republican either needs to find a new line of attack or find a new way to communicate his attacks, writes Townhall’s Matt Lewis. The tone of the campaign isn’t as negative as conventional wisdom suggests, as most voters polled by CBS and The New York Times think this year’s race is just as negative as the 2004 campaign, writes The Corner’s Byron York.

The victory by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party in Canada shows the world understands the war on jihadists is real and the best response to the economic crisis is low taxes and a slimmed-down public sector, writes Townhall’s Hugh Hewitt. Conservative governments are rising in Britain and Israel and already in place in Canada, Italy and Germany, notes The Corner’s Mark Steyn, making America the exception.

FROM THE BLOGS:
The Dam Is Bursting – kos, Daily Kos
Poll Shows McCain Strategy Backfiring – S. Benen, Political Animal
Voters Think McCain Would Raise Taxes – E. Kleefeld, TPM EC
Campaign Really More Negative? – Byron York, The Corner
McCain Hurt By His Attacks? – Matt Lewis, Townhall.com
Voter Fraud Alert – Michelle Malkin
The Other Election – Mark Steyn, The Corner
Conservatives Win In Canada – Hugh Hewitt, Townhall.com
Not-So-Worthwhile Canadian Electoral System – Matthew Yglesias

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Poll Says McCain Hurt His Bid By Using Attacks – New York Times
Poll: Obama Leads 50 Percent to 41 Percent – Los Angeles Times
McCain Puts New Tax Cuts on the Table – Wall Street Journal
Obama’s First 100 Days Start Early – The Hill