WASHINGTON, US - DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate Barack Obama appears to be rebounding from sliding poll numbers in the wake the controversy over his former pastor, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll released on Sunday.

Among Democratic primary voters, the Illinois senator now leads opponent Hillary Clinton by 12 points - 50 per cent to 38 per cent - the poll found. Obama led the New York senator by 8 points in a CBS/New York Times poll released just a few days ago.

The latest poll was taken after Mr Obama's comments last week repudiating Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who repeated statements that the Sept 11 attacks were retribution for United States foreign policy and that the US government had a hand in spreading Aids to harm blacks.

Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama face voting contests on Tuesday in North Carolina and Indiana, the next steps in their battle for the Democratic presidential nomination to take on Republican John McCain in the November election.

Despite concern among Democrats about the potential damage to the party by the protracted Clinton-Obama fight, both are in a strong position against Mr McCain, CBS said.

The poll found that in a general election Mr Obama would defeat Mr McCain by 51 per cent to 40 per cent and Mrs Clinton would defeat the Arizona senator by a 53 per cent to 41 per cent.

The poll also found that Americans were divided over one of the hottest issue in the campaign, a gasoline tax suspension.

Forty-nine per cent think lifting the tax is a bad idea, while 45 per cent approve of the plan.

Mr Obama has been hammering Mr McCain, over his plan to offer voters a temporary 'holiday' from the gasoline tax, and Mrs Clinton who also backs the tax suspension.

The poll of 671 adults, including 283 Democratic primary voters, was conducted Thursday through Saturday. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points. The margin of error for the Democratic primary voters is 5 points. -- REUTERS