In a poll just released today, Barack Obama holds a comfortable lead in four battleground states that were contested in the 2004 election. In Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, all states that went to John Kerry in 2004, Obama is comfortably ahead. But in Colorado, which went to George Bush that year, Obama also leads by 5 percent. This latest poll, conducted by The Wall Street Journal, Quinnipiac, and WashingtonPost.com, comes after another Q poll earlier in the month showing that Obama also leads in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Those are three other important swing states that were battlegrounds in 2004 (only Pennsylvania went to Kerry).

Of course, these polls are too early to be truly predictive, and there is much debate as to whether they mean anything at all. But the results must feel good for the Obama campaign, especially during the week that they announced their 50-state strategy.

The GOP's strategic response to this news? It's already ready, courtesy of Karl Rove: McCain is a populist underdog, while Obama is the arrogant front-runner. In other words, Obama is the Hillary Clinton of the general election.

Obama Looks Strong in Several Battlegrounds [WSJ]