Tom Brazaitis-Cleveland Plain Dealer: Think Bush has it won? Think again

[Dudley_DUright]

For a while last week, it seemed that the 2004 presidential race might be over before it really got started.

After four nights of unabashed praise heaped on President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney at the Republican National Convention in New York City, coupled with mean attacks on their Democratic rivals, public opinion polls showed Bush had opened a wide lead in the polls - as much as 11 points in separate Newsweek and Time polls.

"Mr. Kerry is on the ropes," said pollster John Zogby.

Gallup, the nation's premier polling company, had the race a little closer, showing Bush with a seven-point lead, but news reports noted that since Gallup began presidential polling in 1936, only one incumbent who led in the poll at Labor Day (Jimmy Carter, who led Ronald Reagan 41 percent to 37 percent in 1980) squandered his advantage and lost the election.

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http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/tom_brazaitis/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fopinion%2F109489531528210.xml

[NMDemDist2]

1. it has just begun...... n/t