Time Poll Results - Dems

In the latest generic national presidential race poll conducted by Time magazine, Barack Obama and John Edwards are in a virtual dead-heat for second place behind Hillary Clinton. The poll excluded Gov. Bill Richardson and Dennis Kucinich.

I used to think that Edwards had a real shot at becoming the Democratic nominee, and these poll results would tend to support that. However, I really have questions about it now. Consider:

• Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have enough money (more than Edwards) to hang around in the race even after faring poorly in a few states' primaries
• Both of them are strong in California which recently moved its primary date forward--muting the impact of Edward's strength in Iowa

Edwards really needs Barack Obama to commit a major faux pas. If that happens, then he could capture more of Obama's supporters than Hillary could. If Clinton slips up, Edwards would still have a shot, but she is a lot less likely to commit a terminal error.