Only seven points?

Obama 49.9 McCain 42.3

While (Obama) has moved ahead in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, one senses America is not so much rallying to him as running away from a Republican brand that is now on the same shelf with Chinese baby formula. -- Pat Buchanan

Why can't Barry close the deal? Even the stock market is betting on him. Can there be any better explanation for the stock market collapse than the expectation that a socialist president is about to take control? In spite of where the smart money lies, this match still does not appear to be over.

We are now hearing that Obama has peaked too soon, or that there are legions of racists mobilized against him , or that McCain's "lies" are hurting him. Feh. It boils down to this: If Obama wasn't a flawed candidate, in the same mold as Kerry, Gore, and McGovern, this one would already be in the bag. Ohio may not be the slam dunk the Obama people thought it was, and many other volatile measurements must be made before this game is called. A lot of people are convinced this is a republican-caused meltdown, and yet not enough people believe it to put the game out of reach.

Truth is, Bush 43 was always clueless on the economy, but not the main perpetrator here. Pelosi was supposed to be minding the store back home during war time. McCain is equally clueless and can't fix it, and Obama has not one hope of getting it right. Nothing left for the market to do but tank. Obama is the biggest cheerleader of the recession, and stands to gain if he can continue to advance the illusion that he is an antidote for the recession.