New Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times national survey (Oct 10-13) shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by nine points among likely voters:

Obama 50
McCain 41
Undecided 7

Obama leads McCain by 7.5% in the RCP National Average.

Favorable Ratings
Joe Biden +22 (49/27)
Obama +19 (53/34)
McCain +8 (47/39)
Palin +1 (43/42)

Other notables: Democrats hold a six point edge over Republicans in the generic Congressional vote among registered voters, 45 to 39. 43% say Sarah Palin is qualified to be VP, 49% say she is not. 22% say the selection of Sarah Palin makes them more likely to vote for McCain, 27% say less likely, and 50% say it makes no difference. 49% say Obama has the "right experience" to be President versus 80% for McCain. Obama leads McCain by 12 points, 48 to 36, on who voters trust to "make the right decisions about the economy."

George W. Bush's job approval is at 23%. Only 10% say the country is moving in the right direction, 84% say it is moving in the wrong direction.