Bob Von Sternberg, Star Tribune
September 19, 2004 POLB0919
In the midst of the presidential election campaign's most intense barrage of dueling polls to date, it might be a good idea to step back and take a breather.
Veteran political newsletter publisher Charlie Cook tried to do just that last week.
With the polls all over the map, he took a look at several polls in battleground states and the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, which currently shows President Bush with a 5.5-point advantage over Sen. John Kerry in a three-way race including independent Ralph Nader.
Cook's bottom line: "Unquestionably, Kerry has gone through his worst six weeks of the year, and it's unlikely that the next 49 days will be as bad for him as the last 42 days have been, hence the expectation that this race will close a bit. . . .
http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4987255.html