The Final Stretch

With one week to go until Election Day, John McCain and Sarah Palin, and Barack Obama and Joe Biden head down the final stretch of Campaign '08, making their case before an electorate that shows signs of being more fired up this year than any in the recent past.

No doubt the citizens are 'Bush-weary' as they were in 2001 when they were described as having a bad case of 'Clinton fatigue.'

And, with the nation's first African-American chosen as the standard-bearer of one of the 2 major political parties, and with the very first Alaskan governor and the first female to be chosen to serve on the GOP ticket, the excitement generated in this campaign has been one for the history books.

The mainstream media and the Obama campaign have all but proclaimed victory before a single vote as been counted and before most votes have even been cast.

Polls have varied widely.

But most reputable pollsters are admitting that in this final stretch, the numbers show a vastly tightening race.

Only 4 days ago Gallup showed a 7-point gap between McCain and Obama, with Obama gaining 51% support among those surveyed.

As of today, McCain has closed that gap, picking up 5 points in 4 days, and is now within 2 points of Obama--well within the poll's margin of error.

Other reputable pollsters, Rasmussen, Zogby, TIPP, and others also show tightening numbers.

The battleground states, of course, will be key to winning the White House. Polls show Obama ahead in Florida, Colorado, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, but with McCain showing signs of a last-minute surge in at least 2 of those states.

McCain is slightly ahead in Missouri and Ohio, but within the polls' margin of error.

One electoral factor to bear in mind--in the last few days of a campaign, undecided voters have a history of breaking in favor of the underdog. And McCain has been running behind during most of the Summer and Fall.