Politics / Barack Obama Obama Stakes 8-Point Lead By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff Posted Oct 6, 2008 6:46 PM CDT Copied Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., orders lunch at 12 Bones Smokehouse in Asheville, N.C., Monday, Oct. 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Barack Obama is pulling away from John McCain in two new national CNN polls. One has Obama ahead by 8 points, the other 7, a substantial rise from the 4-point lead he held less than a month ago. The Wall Street crisis, President Bush's abysmal ratings, and voters' belief that Sarah Palin is unfit for the Oval Office have all contributed to Obama's boost, pollsters say. (More Barack Obama stories.) Report an error