Barack Obama continues to enjoy a post-election honeymoon with the public even as more than three-quarters say he will take office facing bigger challenges than most recent presidents, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted Dec. 5-8. That finding is in synch with other polls about how Americans are feeling about Obama during this transition.

An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted Dec. 3-8 found almost three-quarters of Americans approve of the way Obama has been preparing his administration.

While Obama has repeatedly said he has tried to walk the line between showing he'd be ready to hit the "ground running" while recognizing there can only be one president at a time, three-quarters of Americans in the Journal/NBC poll say he has had the "right level of involvement" in terms of policymaking in the face of the serious challenges facing the country.

About two-thirds are generally pleased with the appointments to his administration that Obama has made so far.

Here's what some of the last national polls of the campaign are saying:

Barack Obama is leading John McCain 50 percent to 43 percent among likely voters with 2 percent preferring someone else and 5 percent undecided in a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted Nov. 1-2. The margin of error is 3 points. Among all registered voters, Obam's lead is 48 percent to 43 percent. The last Fox poll in late October put Obama's lead at only 3 points.

Obama is leading McCain 53 percent to 42 percent among likely voters with 2 percent preferring neither or someone else and 3 percent undecided in a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Oct. 3`1 - Nov.2. The margin of error is 2 percent. Among all registered voters, Obama's lead is 53 percent to 40 percent.

Gallup says: "The trend data clearly show Obama ending the campaign with an upward movement in support, with eight to 11 percentage point leads among likely voters in Gallup's last four reports of data extending back to Oct. 28. Obama's final leads among both registered voters and likely voters are the largest of the campaign."

The final Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted Nov. 1-2 had Obama leading 51 percent to 43 percent among likely voters with 6 percent undecided. The margin of error is 3.1 percent.

"The poll shows some slight movement for McCain. But with just 48 hours left, it's going to be a challenge to make up the rest of the difference," said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster who conducts the survey with Democrat Peter D. Hart.

Obama holds a 49 percent to 42 percent lead over McCain among likely voters in a Pew Research Center survey conducted Oct. 29 - Nov. 1. One percent each favored Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr and 7 percent were undecided. While Obama's margin is still significant, he had led by 15 percent in the Pew poll conducted Oct. 23-26. Among all registered voters, Obama's lead is 50 percent to 39 percent compared to 52 percent to 36 percent in the previous survey.

Obama is leading McCain 53 percent to 46 percent among likely voters in the final CNN/Opinion Research poll before Election Day. The poll was conducted Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 and has a margin of error of 3.5 points.

Barack Obama leads John McCain 52 percent to 42 percent among registered voters with 2 percent saying "neither" and 3 percent undecided in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted Oct. 17-20. The margin of error is 2.9 percent. The figure includes voters who are leaners to one or the other. Obama's lead the last time this poll was conducted in early October was 5 points. When Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr are factored in, Obama leads 50 percent to 39 percent with 2 percent for Barr and 3 percent for Nader.

Other major polls from this week:

Pew Research Center: Obama 52, McCain 38

New York Times/CBS News: Obama 54, McCain 43

Fifty-two percent of voters in the Pew Survey said they were excited about backing Obama compared to 26 percent of McCain supporters who felt that way. Thirty-nine percent of McCain supporters said they would vote for him because he was the lesser of two evils. In another stark contrast, 46 percent of McCain supporters said their vote was more for McCain than against Obama while 67 percent of Obama supporters said their support was more for their candidate than against McCain. Twenty-seven percent of McCain supporters said they were motivated mainly by rejecting Obama while only 8 percent of Obama supporters said they had made their choice principally because of opposition to McCain.

Most of the new national polls released today are all good news for Barack Obama, although one survey has the race tighter than the others.

Obama has opened up a 53 percent to 45 percent lead over John McCain among likely voters in a CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted Oct. 3-5. The margin of error is 3.5 points. CNN's mid-September poll had Obama ahead by 4 points.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted Oct. 4-5 has Obama ahead by 49 percent to 43 percent. The margin of error is 3.8 percent. Two weeks ago, this survey gave Obama a 2 point lead.

A CBS News poll conducted Oct. 3-5 has Obama ahead 48 percent to 45 percent among likely voters with 5 percent undecided. The margin of error is 3 points.

A George Washington University Battleground Poll conducted Sept. 30 - Oct .2 had Obama leading McCain 50 percent to 43 percent with 7 percent undecided. The margin of error is 3.5 percent

Barack Obama has a statistically insignificant 48 percent to 46 percent lead over John McCain among registered voters with two percent choosing neither and 3 percent undecided in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey conducted Sept. 19-22. The margin of error is 3 points and the numbers includes leaners. Obama had led by 3 points in August and by 6 points in July. This poll differs from this week's Washington Post/ABC News and Fox News which both had Obama regaining statistically significant leads.

John McCain and Barack Obama are in a statistical dead heat with Obama leading 47 percent to 46 percent with 4 percent liking neither and 8 percent undecided in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted Sept. 6-8. The margin of error is 3.3 percent. Olbama had led by 3 points in this poll in August and by 6 in June and July. The number of McCain supporters who described themselves as excited jumped from 12 percent in August to 34 percent. That number also rose some for Obama, from 46 percent to 55 percent. Joseph Biden made less difference to the ticket in terms of whether voters were more or less likely to back the Democrats because of his selection with 58 percent saying it made no difference. But for Palin, a lesser 40 percent said it made no difference with 34 percent now more likely to vote for McCain and 25 percent less likely.

John McCain has closed in on Barack Obama in yet another major national poll. McCain now trails Obama by only 45 percent to 42 percent in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey conducted Aug. 15-18, down from the 6 point leads Obama held in June and July. Four percent answered "neither" and 8 percent were undecided. The margin of error is 3.1 percent.

One finding sure to stoke the fervor of Hillary Clinton diehards said if Clinton was the Democratic candidate, she would be leading 49 percent to 43 percent. That is tempered somewhat by the fact that, by the same margin, voters said they did not hope she would be president some day.

Obama still has a problem with those Clinton backers. Fifty-two percent of them say they will vote for Obama, but 21 percent are backing McCain, with an additional 27 percent who are undecided or want to vote for someone else.

Three national polls are out today with different pictures of the race, although none of them are particularly good news for Barack Obama. There has also been a series of state polls in the last two days which showed the Democrat having difficulty gaining any ground.

The George Washington University Battleground 2008 survey conducted Aug. 10-14 has John McCain in a dead heat with Obama leading him 47 percent to 46 percent with 2 percent preferring "other" and 19 percent undecided. The poll is conducted jointly by the Republican Tarrance Group and the Democratic firm of Lake Research Partners.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey conducted Aug. 15-18 says McCain now trails Obama by only 45 percent to 42 percent in, down from the 6 point leads Obama held in June and July. Four percent answered "neither" and 8 percent were undecided. The margin of error is 3.1 percent.

And a Reuters/Zogby poll conducted Aug. 14-17 has McCain moving out front 46 percent to 41 percent with 13 percent undecided. The margin of error is 3 points. Last month, Obama had led by 7 points.

These three polls come on the heels of yesterday's Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey that had Obama and McCain in a statistical tie, with Obama ahead 45 percent to 43 percent in a survey conducted Aug. 15-18. The margin of error was 3 points.

When you combine these with match-ups of McCain and Obama in eight competitive states for which polls came out yesterday and today, a picture emerges of an Obama campaign - at least at this point - losing some of the luster it had after he clinched the nomination, and either just holding his ground or slipping in the polls.

Barack Obama is leading John McCain 47 percent to 41 percent with 4 percent choosing neither and 6 percent undecided, in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted July 18-21. The margin of error is 3.1 percent. Obama's lead is the same as it was in this poll last month.

Obama held his lead even though voters, by a 55 percent to 35 percent margin, said he was the riskier choice for President.