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Whether they voted for him or not, Americans are optimistic about the next four years with Barack Obama as president, according to a new CBS News poll. Seventy-one percent of all Americans say they are optimistic about the next four years, including nearly half (48 percent) of all those who voted for John McCain. Just 17 percent of all Americans are pessimistic, including 40 percent of McCain voters.

Eighty-three percent of African-Americans are optimistic and 88 percent of Americans under the age of 30 are as well. While 88 percent of Democrats say they are optimistic, so do 51 percent of Republicans.

During the campaign, Americans expressed record levels of dismay about the state of the country and the economy, and dissatisfaction with the current Administration. However, the level of optimism Americans now express about the future matches the level they expressed before many other recent presidents took office.

About seven in 10 were also optimistic about Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton -- before their first terms began. Six in 10 were optimistic in December 2000 about George W. Bush, even after that election’s 35-day post-election struggle.

More from the poll will be released tonight at 6:30pm ET on the CBS Evening News and in full on CBSNews.com.

This poll was conducted among a nationwide random sample of 1,220 adults interviewed by telephone November 7-10, 2008. Respondents had been first interviewed October 30-November 3, 2008. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the total sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

With two days left until the presidential election, Barack Obama continues to lead John McCain by 13 points among likely voters, 54 percent to 41 percent, a new CBS News poll finds. The margin in the new poll, released Sunday, is identical to that in a CBS News poll released Saturday.

As the number of undecided voters has dwindled, so has the number that says their minds can still change. More than nine in 10 of each candidate’s voters now say they have made up their minds about who to vote for and are not likely to change. Just seven percent of Obama voters and 8 percent of McCain voters say they still might change their minds.

With two days to go, only 8 percent of likely voters are uncommitted – either they have not yet chosen a candidate, or their minds could still change. Nearly all of these uncommitted voters say they plan to vote.

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A new CBS News/New York Times poll finds that 89 percent of Americans believe that country is on the wrong track, a new all-time high surpassing the 83 percent who said the same earlier this year. Just seven percent of Americans in the poll said they felt the country was headed in the right direction, down from 14 percent in September. Solid majorities of Republicans, Democrats and Independents agreed that the nation is on the wrong track.

The right direction/wrong track number is a key indicator of the mood of the country and just three weeks from Election Day is further evidence of the economic crisis that has rattled the presidential race. The poll was conducted Friday through Monday, mostly following last week’s historic drop in the stock market. Previous polls have shown voters are more confident in Barack Obama’s ability to improve the economy and both candidates have recently unveiled new proposals aimed at easing concerns.

The full CBS News/New York Times poll will be released at 6:30 ET tonight. Tune into the CBS Evening news and check back here at CBSNews.com for full results.

Everyone knows the mantra by now when it comes to the shape of the Democratic race and even the most devoted supporters of Hillary Clinton would surely acknowledge that her chances of wresting the nomination away from Barack Obama are slim at best. And Slim may be leaving the building should Obama win Indiana on Tuesday.

Barring a complete meltdown, Clinton will almost certainly finish the primaries behind in pledged delegates won and most likely trailing in the popular vote. And, if you believe the buzz that has been emanating from the Obama camp recently, those all-important superdelegates are poised to put him over the top – or at least get him very, very close.

So why is Clinton fighting so hard still? Because, while every nomination is worth having, this one is worth doing almost anything to get and it might even be worth the risk of blowing up the party.

The latest CBS News/New York Times poll tells the tale. Despite the seeming strength of presumptive GOP nominee John McCain in current head-to-head matchups, the party’s brand could not get much lower. Just 33 percent of registered voters said they have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party. Voters say they are likely to vote Democratic in congressional races by a 50 percent to 32 percent margin. The Democratic Party has wide advantages when it comes to dealing with issues like the economy, health care, the war in Iraq, immigration and even higher marks on sharing moral values.

In the perception game, voters expect a Democrat to win the White House by a 56 percent to 32 percent margin.

And the poll holds some troubling signs for Obama’s campaign. Clinton does better against McCain in the general election matchup, giving her more ammunition for the electability argument. White women are deserting him in the poll and his unfavorable ratings have risen. He remains in a strong position to win the nomination but his support has eroded in the wake of his Pennsylvania loss and the “bitter” and Wright controversies.

Given the vulnerabilities that seem to be creeping into Obama’s campaign, why should Clinton drop out – even in June. Why not hang around and see what happens during the summer, if not wage an active campaign, then at least remain viable until Denver?

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A new CBS News/New York Times poll coming out this evening shows strong feelings remain among supporters of both Democratic presidential candidates – and that significant numbers of them may end up unhappy with the outcome.

Half of Hillary Clinton’s primary supporters say they would be dissatisfied if Barack Obama ends up as the party’s nominee while 49 percent said they would be satisfied. Among those Democrats supporting Obama, far fewer, 35 percent, said they would be dissatisfied with Clinton as the nominee, compared to 64 percent who said they would be satisfied with her as the party’s standard-bearer.

When it comes to a “Dream Ticket,” featuring both candidates, more than half of each candidate’s supporters said they would be open to the idea of having the other come on as a running mate. Overall, 65 percent of Democrats agreed that Clinton should pick Obama if she were to win the nomination, including 79 percent of Obama supporters and 53 percent of Clinton supporters. If he were to win, 59 percent of all Democrats agreed that Obama should pick Clinton as his running mate, including 53 percent of his supporters and 67 percent of hers.

Despite the seeming hardened feelings among Democrats regarding the candidate they support, voters overall expect the party to capture the White House in November. Fifty-six percent of all registered voters in the poll said they expect the Democrat to win the general election while just 32 percent said they expect the Republican candidate to prevail.

The full poll will be released at 6:30pm ET, watch the CBS Evening News and visit CBSNews.com then for full details of the poll.

Almost half of all Americans believe that the best years are in the past when it comes to good jobs according to a CBS News/New York Times poll being released today. Forty eight percent of adults surveyed said they believe the country’s best years are in the past on the jobs front while 43 percent said the best times are still to come. But Americans are only slightly less optimistic as they were in 1996 when 44 percent said the best times for jobs was behind us and 46 percent said the best was to come.

When it comes to jobs, over half of adults said they were concerned about someone in their household losing a job, with 28 percent of them saying they are very concerned. Forty five percent said they were not concerned and those with incomes under $50,000 per year said they were more concerned than those earning more money.

The entire CBS News/New York Times poll will be released at 6:30pm ET this evening. Watch the CBS Evening News for the results and visit CBSNews.com to see the entire poll then.

Nobody watching the events of the past week could possibly come to the conclusion that Barack Obama is “lucky” to be a black man running for president. He is getting mostly glowing reviews for his speech addressing race in America but the very tangle of attitudes he described in Philadelphia yesterday only serve to underscore the challenge he faces in winning the White House.

But underneath Geraldine Ferraro’s insistence that Obama was getting something of a free ride because of his historic candidacy was equal frustration at how the woman she supports has struggled with her own barrier-breaking campaign.

And she appears to have company in that view. According to a new CBS News poll, voters see gender as more of a barrier in presidential politics than race. Thirty nine percent of registered voters said a woman faces more obstacles in a presidential race while 33 percent said a black candidate does. More to the point, 42 percent of voters said they felt Hillary Clinton has been treated more harshly because of her gender while just 27 percent felt Obama has been treated more harshly because of his race.

When it comes to judging perceptions of attitudes, voters say more people they know would be likely to vote for a black candidate than a woman. Fifty six percent said that “most people” they know would vote for a black candidate for president while just 46 percent said the same of a woman candidate. A full 45 percent said “most people” they know would not vote for a woman. Yet the poll also shows that racism (42 percent) is considered a “more serious” problem in the nation than sexism (10 percent).

The poll was conducted before Obama’s speech yesterday, but it was not conducted in a vacuum. Clinton is a singularly unique candidate for reasons beyond gender and carries the kind of baggage that no presidential candidate ever has. A former First Lady whose public image was forged in the crucible of the modern 24/7 media spotlight has been lightening rod for criticism since bursting onto the public stage.

The first glimpse many Americans got was of her defending her husband’s infidelities on national television and saying, "you know, I'm not sitting here like some little woman standing by my man, like Tammy Wynette." Clinton has established her own legacy in the 16 years since but the partisan and scandal-filled 1990s produced hardened attitudes toward her. And the poll may reflect some of those, even while displaying some sympathy for the obstacles she faces. Perhaps she can take some solice in opening line of the Wynette song she once ridiculed. “Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman.”

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A new CBS News poll out this evening shows that a wide majority of Americans continue to believe that the results of the war in Iraq have not been worth the costs. Just 29 percent say the war was worth (up slightly from two years ago) while 64 percent say it was not.

Was The War In Iraq Worth The Costs To U.S.?

         Now       3/06       8/03
Yes      29%        25%        46%
No       64%        64%        46%

In August 2003, less than six months after the beginning of the war, Americans were divided on the question and opinion reached a low point in March 2006 – when only one in four Americans said the war was worth the costs.

Support now breaks heavily along partisan lines. Sixty-two percent of Republicans say the results of the war with Iraq were worth the costs, while only 10% of Democrats and 25% of Independents agree. That number has risen by 11 points since March 2006 while it has remained largely the same among Democrats and independents.

(The poll was conducted among a random sample of 844 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone March 15-17, 2008. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points.)

The latest CBS News/New York Times poll on the presidential election will be released at 6:30 this evening but here's a sneak peek at how the major candidates are faring in public opinion – a comparison Barack Obama appears to be winning.

Among all registered voters surveyed, Hillary Clinton has by far the highest "unfavorable" rating. Forty three percent said their opinion of Clinton is unfavorable, compared to 35 percent who viewed her favorably. Clinton fared better among likely Democratic primary voters – 61 percent of that group said they had a favorable opinion of the New York senator. But 27 percent of Democrats had an unfavorable opinion.

Obama was viewed favorably by 45 percent of all voters while just 23 percent had an unfavorable opinion of him. And among those Democrats, his favorability was 69 percent while just eight percent had an unfavorable view.

Thirty two percent of all voters said they were undecided or have not heard enough to form an opinion of Obama, indicating room for himself – or his political opponents – to shape those opinions.

John McCain was viewed more favorably than unfavorably among all voters (36 percent to 32 percent) but just 57 percent of Republicans said they have a favorable opinion of their presumptive nominee. Thirty percent of his own party said they had no opinion of McCain, indicating that he may have some work ahead of him in consolidating GOP support for the fall campaign.

Check back with CBSNews.com at 6:30pm ET or tune into the CBS Evening News for complete poll results.