Michigan, Minnesota, and Maliki

Chris Cillizza writes up a somewhat disturbing-for-Obama Quinnipiac poll showing him basically tied with McCain in Michigan, Colorado, and Minnesota. I don't believe Minnesota is tied (most other polls show Obama way up there, and it's culturally and demographically similar to Wisconsin, where Obama still has a healthy lead), but the results are in line with a general tightening trend in key battleground states, so they can't be dismissed. One of the reasons for what we're seeing, suggests Cillizza, is Iraq: McCain's campaign has hammered home the idea that Obama was mistaken in his opposition to the surge of U.S. troops last year and is wrong now about his proposed 16-month timetable for withdrawing troops. Voters in all four states seem to agree. Asked whether they would prefer a "fixed date" for withdrawal or to "keep... [read full story]