Ah, the ever-present electability factor.

With Sen. John McCain waiting to take one of them on, debate rages on both sides of the political spectrum regarding how Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would respectively fare against the GOP-nominee-in waiting.

So which Democratic co-frontrunner is more electable?

Hillary Clinton argued from the start that she alone is ready to lead, to take on the GOP machine. Given results of recent head-to-head polls pitting her against McCain, it’s no surprise that she’s dialed that down a bit.

By and large, Democrats like both candidates and both are quite electable. But strong nationwide support and results for Barack Obama have shattered the theory that only Hillary can beat McCain in a general election.

Thus, Clinton’s new emphasis not on being electable, but on solutions vs. ideas, saying Obama’s campaign is built on promises and words.

A Real Clear Politics average of eight polls taken nationally between January 30 and now gives us these hypothetical general election figures:

- Barack Obama 47.7 percent, John McCain 44.0 percent
- John McCain 46.8 percent, Hillary Clinton 45.4 percent

Given the closeness of both possible matchups, the margins of error of polls in general, the number of days between now and November 4, and the things that could change in that time… this means nothing.

But it’s interesting that the man Clinton portrays as a novice, running a campaign short on substance, comes out ahead, isn’t it?

Poll data among only Democratic voters is equally tight. Of five recent national polls - by Gallup, Rasmussen, AP, USA Today and Newsweek - Obama leads Hillary Clinton in four, but all are within 5 percent.

In other words, they’re tied! Which we already knew!

Alright, enough about stupid polls. The actual votes cast in the Wisconsin primary today should give us an updated gauge of Clinton’s support, and possibly signal a major momentum shirt - one way or the other.