EV 9/7: Obama still bouncing upward

The most recent ND and OH polling gives Obama two-point leads in both states, so they flip (North Dakota goes from red to blue with no pause at grey). No sign yet of anything resembling a GOP convention bounce, though in fairness it's still too early to tell.

For the record, I place no emphasis whatsoever on the national media-sponsored head-to-head horse race polls. Just ask Al Gore if that 500,000-vote lead nationally in 2000 made any difference to his White House hopes.

The most interesting rumor overheard this past week was that Ron Paul would assume the mantle of both the Libertarian and Constitution Parties, by mutual acquiescence of their respective nominees Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin. Far-fetched, but intriguing nonetheless. I would rate the chances of this happening as greater -- much greater -- than Barr succeeding in having both Obama and McCain disqualified from the Texas ballot.

<p><strong>><a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/electoral-college/'>Electoral College Prediction Map</a></strong> - Predict the winner of the general election. Use the map to experiment with winning combinations of states. Save your prediction and send it to friends.</p>