The latest Survey USA poll has good news for John McCain and Hillary Clinton supporters in the Show-Me State. But Barack Obama's efforts to put Missouri into play if he is the Democratic nominee still have much work.

The poll was conducted last weekend in the middle of the furor over Obama saying Midwesterners cling to God and guns but before the ABC debate.

Survey USA, which has had a good track record in the primary season, finds Clinton leads McCain 47 to 46 percent, which is within the margin of error. The good news for Clinton supporters is that she has steadily gain against McCain since March in the Show-Me State. He had led in the two previous polls by close numbers.

But McCain leads Obama 50 to 42 percent, which is outside the margin of error. While Obama still trails significantly, the good news for his supporters is he has improved his standing since last month when he was at 39 percent.

This latest poll tracks previous polls showing Clinton doing better than Obama in this bellweather of bellweathers in a match up against McCain. And if Obama is the nominee, can he count on younger voters and African-American voters to put him over the top in Missouri? Will Republicans be able to effectively paint him as an out-of-touch snob or will his Illinois connections override that?

And if Clinton is the nominee, could she be competitive in Missouri in part due to her Arkansas connections? Or would Clinton hatred and McCain's moderate image doom her?

And does it matter? Considering all the electoral math, can the Democrats actually afford to lose Missouri in November or is it still the must-win bellweather, i.e. as Missouri goes so does the nation?