THE NUMBERS:

Barack Obama, 47 percent

John McCain, 41 percent

  

OF INTEREST:

The survey shows Obama with a six-point lead over McCain after embarking on a highly publicized trip to the Middle East and Europe. Obama's advantage is unchanged from last month. As the Republican candidate, McCain faces a toxic climate: President Bush's approval rating is 30 percent, and only 14 percent of McCain voters say they are excited to vote for him. By contrast, 44 percent of Obama voters say they are excited about their candidate. Yet Obama faces challenges, too: 55 percent think he would be the riskier choice for president, compared to 35 percent for McCain. Obama's lead over McCain expands to 13 points when third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr are added to the mix, with Obama at 48 percent, McCain at 35 percent, Nader at 5 percent and Barr at 2 percent

  

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll was conducted July 18-21 and involved telephone interviews with 1,003 registered voters. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

  

COMPLETE RESULTS: www.nbcnews.com