MORNING READ

The latest poll suggests trouble for Barack Obama, even though he continues to hold a small lead in other surveys, bloggers note. John McCain may be gaining ground because of the continued disillusionment among Democrats who backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), conservative bloggers write. But all Democrats will be heartened by news that Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) plans to address the party’s convention Monday.

The latest CNN survey has McCain and Obama tied at 47 percent, notes TalkLeft’s Big Tent Democrat, who thinks that Clinton as a running mate would have helped Obama. While CNN reported that Obama’s support among Clinton supporters has dropped, the news organization hasn’t made a fair comparison between Obama’s current support among Clinton backers and his past support from them, writes Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight. The poll by Gallup and USA Today, however, shows Obama leading after having McCain in the lead last month, notes DemFromCT at Daily Kos.

Trying to steal some of Clinton’s old support, the McCain campaign has cut an ad featuring a former Clinton backer who now supports the Republican, notes Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey. Clinton again needs to persuade her supporters to vote for Obama, which is what she did adeptly when she first conceded the Democratic presidential nomination, writes The Plank’s Jonathan Cohn. For all the talk of disunity, Democrats are remarkably united when it comes to policy, notes Cohn and Kevin Drum.

Kennedy, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in May, is planning to address the Democratic convention on Monday, reports the Boston Globe’s blog, Political Intelligence. That’s great news, writes MyDD’s Josh Orton.

FROM THE BLOGS:
CNN Poll: No Biden Bounce – Big Tent Dem, TalkLeft
CNN Poll Suggests Trouble, But Omits Context – N. Silver, 538
USA Today/Gallup: Obama By 4 w/ RV – DemFromCT, Daily Kos
CNN Poll Says Dead Even – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
New McCain Ad Targets Hillary Voters – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
More on the Clinton Controversy (Sigh) – J. Cohn, The Plank
Self-Parody Watch – Kevin Drum
Kennedy Plans to Address DNC – Milligan/Lehigh, Political Intel.
Kennedy to Address Dem Convention? – Josh Orton, MyDD

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Party Unity Tops Agenda for Democrats – Washington Post
Biden Camp Pressed Hard for a Slot on Ticket – WSJ
Poll: Most Clinton Voters Still Not Sold on Obama – USA Today
Delegates for Clinton Back Obama, But Still Show Concerns – NYT