THEY'RE JUST BEGGING FOR AN EXCUSE TO VOTE MAVERICK:

Obama Hasn't Closed the Sale: Both candidates continue to tinker with their strategies. (KARL ROVE, 10/16/08, Wall Street Journal)

Barack Obama holds a 7.3% lead in the Real Clear Politics average of all polls, but the latest Gallup tracking poll reveals that there are nearly twice as many undecided voters this year than there were in the last presidential election. The Investor's Business Daily/TIPP poll (which was closest to the mark in predicting the 2004 outcome -- 0.4% off the actual result) now says this is a three-point race.

This week also brought a reminder that Sen. Obama hasn't closed the sale. The Washington Post/ABC poll found 45% of voters still don't think he's qualified to be president, about the same number who doubted his qualifications in March.

This is seven points more than George W. Bush's highest reading in 2000 and the worst since Michael Dukakis's 56% unqualified rating in 1988.

Bill Ayers doesn't provide the rationale people are looking for, but the Reverend Wright would.

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 16, 2008 9:19 AM