More States of the Race: Things That Make You Go "Mmmm!"

H/T to our own DCDemocrat! Here are some yummy new state poll numbers from CNN-Time-Opinion Research:

Wisconsin-
Obama 50%
McCain 47%

Ohio-
Obama 49%
McCain 47%

Florida-
Obama 48%
McCain 48%

North Carolina-
McCain 48%
Obama 47%

Indiana-
McCain 51%
Obama 45%

The bad news: Wisconsin looks too close for comfort.

The good news: Obama's still winning Wisconsin, and he's now pulling ahead in Ohio, a state that recently seemed to be slipping away from us. Also, Obama's back to a tie in Florida, which means we may once again have a shot at winning The Sunshine State. And finally, Obama has a great opportunity to force McCain to play defense in what are supposed to be "solid red states" like North Carolina and Indiana.

Conclusion: If new polling in the next few days confirm these new numbers, then John McCain's in for a rough ride this fall. As I've talked about before, Barack Obama has five main paths to victory. And today, CNN seems to be telling us that Options #4 & #5 are looking more possible. While it's important for Obama to keep his options open in Virginia and the Big 3 Western Swing States of Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado, it also helps that Obama can keep Ohio and Florida on the table. Because when Obama has more options for victory, that makes it easier for us to limit McCain's options and force the GOP to play defense rather than make things harder for us.

So overall, it's a good day for Obama. :-)