Eight days and counting down

I personally believe this election will be far closer than any poll is indicating. However, out of a number of possible scenarios, I recognize that the likelihood of McCain winning by a blowout is highly unlikely. Still, if it's close, it's either man's election.

That said, there are a number of interesting articles out there about the state of the race and some larger issues.
1) George W. Bush's campaign folks, namely Karl Rove, thought that they were going to create a new Republican majority in America. That hasn't worked out. If the GOP wins the presidential election, it will be DESPITE President Bush. Also, the GOP is quite likely to lose many seats in Congress. John Harwood of the NYTimes has more.
2) The issue of race is obviously a factor in this election. What kind of factor? Who really knows until election day? Pennsylvania will serve as a large experiment, and here's an article on that state from the NYTimes.
3) All of the focus has, obviously, been on the presidential contest. However, no less important are the MANY races taking place at the state level, for state government. Most states are holding their legislative elections, and those outcomes will have an important determination on how all legislative districts are redrawn across the country. The GOP's chances look better in this important area. See here.
4) Recent polling from the Commonwealth of Virginia makes the state look good for Obama. Both Obama and Palin have visited my town of Leesburg within the past week. This is an important state, which is odd for presidential elections.
5) In most battleground states, Obama has the upper hand. But it is CLOSE in many of those states, according to Zogby.