[sandance2]

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are neck-and-neck in the presidential race among registered Democrats, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds. But Clinton is ahead of both Obama and Republican rival John McCain when it comes to negative views of each candidate, despite recent controversy concerning Obama's former pastor. The racially charged debate over Barack Obama's relationship with his longtime pastor hasn't much changed his close contest against Hillary Clinton, or hurt him against Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain. But both Democrats, and especially New York's Sen. Clinton, are showing wounds from their prolonged and increasingly bitter nomination contest, which could weaken the ultimate nominee for the general-election showdown against Sen. McCain of Arizona. Even among women, who are the base of Sen. Clinton's support, she now is viewed negatively by more voters than positively for the first time in a Journal/NBC poll.