OBAMA SQUEEZED IN NEW 2012 POLL – AT 8:48 P.M. ET:   Obama is shown to be quite vulnerable in a 2012 matchup against candidates with real names.  From CNN:

(CNN)-Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would go toe-to-toe with President Obama if he sought the presidency in 2012, according to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University survey. Among registered voters nationwide, 46 percent said they'd vote for Huckabee and the same number would re-elect the president.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is also considering another presidential run, only trailed the president by one percentage point. Voters favored the president 44 to 43 percent over Romney, who wrote a Wednesday op-ed attacking Obama's treatment of unemployment and job creation in USA Today.

And though he's declared his non-candidacy for president, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also performs well against the sitting president whom he trails by six percentage points. Registered voters chose Obama 46 to 40 percent over Christie. The governor has adamantly denied an ambition to helm the Republican ticket in 2012, but helped the House GOP earn $10 million in a DC fundraiser Wednesday night.

Other possible contenders for the Republican nomination saw less favorable results in a hypothetical matchup with Obama. More than half the nation preferred the president over former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin - 54 to 34 percent. And Tim Pawlenty, who formally announced a presidential exploratory committee, fell behind Obama by 14 percentage points. Voters preferred the president 48 to 34 percent over the former Minnesota governor. Obama also led former House Speaker Newt Gingrich 52 to 37 percent in the theoretical race.

COMMENT:  What is striking in this poll is that Obama in only a few matchups makes it out of the 40s.  He is vulnerable.

What is also striking is that no Republican actually wins against Obama.  Now, of course, Obama is a far larger presence on TV screens than any GOP candidate, at least at the moment, and he has the advantages of incumbency.  But I think the numbers, which measure reasonably well-known personalities as Romney and Huckabee, show that the Republicans may have to look further.  There is a sizzle factor that is missing.

I'm not shocked by Sarah Palin's showing.  I've always liked her, but she has little support beyond her base.

The poll was conducted among registered voters.  A poll among likely voters would probably have shown Republicans somewhat stronger.

March 31, 2011