[Clintonfatigued]

You may be right. Missouri will be a key state, no doubt about that. I bring up Ohio because no Republican has ever been elected without winning Ohio. It's an urban legend in D.C. that Republican nominees can't win if they lose Ohio. In 1996, the Clinton campaign made Ohio a top priority because of that tale, and some veterans of that campaign will be working for John Kerry. Also, Ohio has been hit hard by job losses.

[TomEwall]

Certainly Bush can't win without Ohio. I was reacting to the comment that Bush couldn't win without Missouri, and it seemed to me that Kerry couldn't win without Missouri either. He could win without Ohio.

I guess Kerry could win without Missouri if he took NH, NV and WV. He'd need all 3 though. So either MO or all 3 of NH, NV and WV.

But would WV and Nevada go to Kerry before Missouri?

I haven't kept up with how the states have been changing, except for Florida.