AS GENERAL ELECTION OFFICIALLY BEGINS, …

                AS GENERAL ELECTION OFFICIALLY BEGINS,
               RACE BETWEEN OBAMA AND MCCAIN IS TIGHT

        OBAMA BEATS MCCAIN ON ECONOMY AND HEALTHCARE,
        WILL BRING CHANGE THAT "MATTERS MOST" TO VOTERS
    Democratic Voters like Clinton as VP, but not a Deal-breaker on Obama Vote
Economy Remains Number One Issue, with Gas Prices Skyrocketing as Voter Concern

New York, June 12, 2008 ­ In a poll fielded immediately following Barack Obama's clinching
of a historic Democratic nomination, and with Hillary Clinton bowing out of the field, the race
for the Presidency is officially underway in what appears to be a close contest.

The Diageo/Hotline Poll of 806 registered voters conducted by FD from June 5 ­ June 8,
2008, shows that most GOP primary voters (52%) say they are satisfied with McCain as their
nominee, reflecting a 10-point jump since last month's poll (May, 42%). And, the vast majority
of Democratic primary voters (68%) say the same for Obama. 60% of Democratic primary
voters say they "will vote enthusiastically" for Obama, with 46% of their GOP counterparts
saying the same for McCain. In the head-to-head match-up, Obama and McCain are in a
statistical dead heat, with Obama edging out McCain by only 2 points, 44% to 42%.

Both Obama and McCain's favorability ratings have increased since last month's poll.
Obama's favorability has jumped 5 points (May, 52% favorable; June, 57% favorable) among
registered voters with a 12-point increase among Democratic voters (May, 72% favorable;
June, 84% favorable). McCain has seen an increase, though less dramatic, among GOP
voters: his favorability moved from 76% in May to 79% this month.

Despite leaving the race as a presidential candidate, Clinton has seen a 4-point uptick in
favorability ratings among the Democratic base (May, 69%; June, 73%). When asked about
whether they would like Obama to select Clinton as his running mate, most Democratic
primary voters say they like the idea (59%). But when asked if they would be more likely to
vote for Obama based on this factor, the vast majority indicates that it would not affect their
vote choice (74%). However, among a plurality of registered voters (43%), there is a sense
that an Obama - Clinton ticket would mostly help the Obama campaign.

The State of the Country and Top Issues

The perception that the country is on the wrong track is virtually the same as last month's poll
with 76% of voters saying the country is heading in the wrong direction (May, 75%). The
economy continues to be seen as the top issue facing the country at 33%; and, as gas prices
broke the $4 mark nationally, gas/fuel/oil prices has jumped another 8 points from last month
as a top issue for voters (May, 10%; June, 18%).

Within this context, almost a third of voters (32%) say that the top priority that the next
President should address is the economy. The second place priority for the next President to
address is the war in Iraq (16%), followed by gas prices (11%).

When asked which party would do the best job handling the nation's economy, registered
voters continue to say Democrats over Republicans, 54% to 28%. This shows a 5-point jump
since last month for the Democratic Party (May, 49% to 36%). Obama enjoys a solid lead
over McCain on his perceived ability to handle the nation's economy (43% to 37%) as well as
healthcare (44% to 31%). However, McCain is seen as the candidate best able to handle the
war in Iraq (49% to 41%). When looking at their perceived ability to handle the economy and
healthcare, the margin is much closer when comparing Obama to McCain, than when
comparing Obama to the generic GOP candidate (see Table 1).
                          Table 1: Best at Dealing with Top Issues
                                        (n =406/401)


                           The Economy        War in Iraq        Healthcare
         Democrats               54%              46%                54%
         Republicans             28%              34%                24%


                            The Economy        War in Iraq         Healthcare

       Barack Obama              43%               41%                44%

       John McCain               37%               49%                31%

"It's clear that the long Democratic primary season hasn't provided a major breakthrough for
either Obama or McCain," says Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of The Hotline. "On key voter
issues, Obama maintains his lead over McCain, with the exception of the war in Iraq. The
silver lining for McCain is that Obama's lead is not as significant when comparing him to the
generic Republican candidate, reflecting the power of McCain's personal appeal."

Traits of the Next President

When asked what traits they will look for in the next President, the top two traits registered
voters cite are "will focus on issues that matter in our day to day lives, not just issues that
grab headlines" (27%), followed by "does what's right for voters, regardless of what either
party says" (23%). And, when asked which candidate out of the two will best implement the
"kind of change that matters most", most voters say Obama over McCain (49% to 32%).
Finally, almost half of self-identified Independents (40%) say Obama will best implement the
kind of change that matters most to them.




To obtain complete poll results, please see www.diageohotlinepoll.com.

To schedule an interview with Ed Reilly, contact Smriti Sateesh at (212) 850-5600 or
Smriti.Sateesh@fd.com.

Methodology: The Diageo/Hotline Poll was conducted by telephone from June 5 through 8,
2008, among a random, representative sample of 806 registered voters, age 18 and older
(margin of error +/- 3.5%). The sample included a sub-sample of 365 Democratic primary
voters (margin of error +/- 5.1%) and 284 Republican primary voters (margin of error +/-
5.8%).

About Diageo: Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with
an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer
categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo,
Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.
Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 200 countries around the world. The
company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock
Exchange (DGE). Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly. For more information
about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com.
About The Hotline & National Journal Group: The Hotline is National Journal's daily
briefing on politics. National Journal Group Inc. is a leading publisher of magazines,
newsletters, books and directories for people who have a professional interest in politics,
policy and government. Based in Washington, D.C., National Journal Group Inc. is committed
to providing publications and services that are non-partisan, reliable and of the highest quality.
www.nationaljournal.com.

About FD: One of the most highly regarded consultancies in the communications industry,
FD employs more than 660 staff and advises more than 900 clients worldwide through its hub
offices in London and New York, as well as its network of wholly-owned offices in Bahrain,
Beijing, Bogota, Boston, Cape Town, Chicago, Dubai, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong,
Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Manchester, Moscow, Panama City, Paris, San Francisco,
Shanghai, Sydney and Washington, DC. With a 20 year history of advising clients in both the
private and public sectors, FD's services include financial public relations, capital markets
communications, public affairs, crisis and issues management and corporate, business-to-
business and business-to-consumer communications. FD is also a market leader in M&A
advisory work. FD is structured around specialist sector teams operating on an international
basis, covering consumer industries, financial services, basic industries, business services,
life sciences & healthcare, media, real estate, technology and telecommunications. FD is a
division of FTI Consulting Inc. (NYSE: FCN), the global business advisory firm. For more
information, please visit www.fd.com.

About FTI Consulting: FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to
helping organizations protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex legal,
regulatory and economic environment. With more than 2,400 professionals located in most
major business centers in the world, we work closely with clients every day to anticipate,
illuminate, and overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations,
litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation management and
restructuring. www.fticonsulting.com.