Dunno much about the poll. Obviously could be a fluke. Still, interesting:

WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are essentially tied for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, the first time that the New York senator hasn’t clearly led the field. The Illinois senator bests Clinton by a single percentage point, 30%-29%, if the contest includes former vice president Al Gore. Clinton bests Obama by a single point, 37%-36%, if it doesn’t include Gore. The survey of 310 Democrats and 160 independents who “lean” Democratic, taken Friday through Sunday, has a margin of error of +/- 5 percentage points. National polls taken the year before an election are “clearly not a prediction of how they’re going to end up,” cautions political scientist Charles Franklin of the University of Wisconsin. “On the other hand, the national trends are a good indicator of whose messages are beginning to work and whose messages may be falling short.”

CORRECTION! Yikes, thanks to a reader for this:

Hi, Jonah. You’ve probably already received a bunch of emails about this, but that article is simply archived incorrectly. Read further down and you’ll see this: Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney edged up four points to third place, at 12%, one point above former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson. Thompson formed a testing-the-waters committee last week and could formally enter the race as early as next month. Apparently it’s from earlier in the year but ended up with yesterday’s date.