About four or five national polls came out the last two days showing Bush with a lead of around 6-9 points, which is where I think the race really is. Even Rasmussen sent up a warning flag that the poll results yesterday might have been statistical noise, which pretty much describes most of his poll results to begin with.
Having said that, I'm wondering how Kerry's truly disgraceful statements this week are playing with the electorate. I'm sure that he is firing up his loony left base, but what effect is he having on the rest of us? I know in my own case that my primary reaction is one of complete personal digust about a candidate that goes beyond anything I have experienced for decades.
1) Saddam's government was a state supporter of terrorists INCLUDING AQ; and
2) All the info we had said that he had WMDs, and that's enough for me to take action.
Bush has not been nearly as forceful in arguing the "threat-to-the-US" issue as he should have been, and this opened the door for Kerry. This shouldn't even be an issue.
Moreover, I think Bush blew it big time by not coming out IMMEDIATELY and announcing that the U.S. was standing with Russia in ITS war on terror against Islamic extremists; pointing out that Chechnya is a province of Russia, like South Carolina was a rebellious state in 1861; and then, privately, demanding 10,000 troops in Iraq as a show of good faith from Puty.