"Clearly the combination of these two candidates at the top of the ticket has done something to this race," spokesman Brian Rogers says. "We think it's changed the equation a little bit. Whether or not that leads to a sustained bounce out of the convention, I guess, is to be seen."
The Obama campaign downplays the importance of an individual poll, especially a national one.
"At the end of the day, this election is going to be about John McCain and Barack Obama and who people believe can actually change things in Washington," spokesman Bill Burton says.
On that measure, 61% say Obama would be effective in "changing the way the government in Washington works;" 54% say that of McCain.
There is an overwhelming desire to shake things up. Nearly eight in 10 say they're dissatisfied with the way the federal government is handling the country's problems. A majority of those surveyed, 51%, say they're "very dissatisfied."
The survey is filled with welcome news for McCain. The Arizona senator lagged Obama among registered voters by 7 percentage points after the Democratic convention ended. Now he leads him by 4 points, 50%-46%.
That 11-point improvement compares to a three-point improvement for Obama after the Democratic convention.
The back-to-back conventions — the first since 1956 — may have squelched a bigger bounce for Obama. The day after the Democratic convention ended, McCain announced Palin as his running mate.
The convention effect seems reminiscent of 2000. In both years, supporters of the party holding the White House who had become disaffected returned to the fold and backed the party's nominee. Then, Democrat Al Gore scored an 18-point bounce, Texas Gov. George Bush a 6-point bounce.
In the new survey, more voters call themselves Republicans. Now 48% say they're Democrats or lean to the Democratic Party; 47% say they're Republicans or lean to the GOP.
Not since February 2005, right after Bush's second inauguration, have Republicans been within a single point of Democrats in party identification.
What's more, voters by 48%-45% support the Democratic candidate in their congressional district, the party's narrowest advantage this year.
Meanwhile, on CBS' Face the Nation, McCain acknowledged there was "very tough sledding to go through" on the economy. Obama, on ABC's This Week, called the U.S. economy "fragile" and said as president he would consider delaying tax hikes on the wealthy if it might worsen the downturn.
On NBC's Meet the Press, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden called Palin "a smart, tough politician." The Delaware senator predicted she'd be "very formidable" in their Oct. 2 debate.
