This is wonderful. Bill
gets to play "bad cop"
and say whatever negative
things he wants to about
Obama and travel the
low road and Hilliary
gets to play "good cop" and
stick to the high road.
When Obama strikes back,
he has to strike at Bill.
When Obama does object
in public and hold
Hilliary responsible, she
claims that Bill is his
own man and not the
candidate. For the
Clintons it is a winning
strategy which they will
repeat in the general
election. The competition
is forces to respond to
Bill giving her a bye.

Obama is losing it! He can't take the heat, definitely was getting used to the free ride and lack of scrutiny of his record. We here in Illinois are not impressed with his first term as U.S. Senator; why he should deserve the Presidency...maybe because the time for a black President? that doesn't make any sense, The election of a President shouldn't about race, it should be about agenda, leadership, proven experience, proven record, integrity and knowledge and in many of those Obama shows that he's not ready.This is nothing compared with what the Republicans have prepared for him and then no matter how much he whines he better be ready; but he is not; he can't take criticism or scrutiny last night he was shouting away like a brat.

yes!! obama is. you know what obama lies about everything. after iowa he tought he was the cock of the walk. acting like he had it all wraped up. the song that he was playing after the caucas was sign sealed delivered i'm yours. so he thought he could walk a over this thing. well looks like he can't. he is frusterated in the fact that he is not winning. so he has to whine. boo hoo obama boo hooo...

You failed to point out that Jeff Zeleny was being extremely rude by interrupting Obama at his campaign event, where Obama was trying to greet and talk to actual South Carolina voters, not New York Times reporters.

This is the second non story from ABC today on Obama! How about the endorsement of the State Newspaper in S.C. and remarks on Clinton!
What is the point! Such blogging or reporting as this is child play!!!

Zeleny is also co-author of a news article in today's NYT that makes the unwarranted claim that Obama "appeared on the verge of losing his temper at times" during last night's debate. Zeleny appears to have his own pre-conceived storyline and he seems intent on running with it regardless of the facts.

Looks like another 4 years of 50+1 politics...looks like Obama is 4 years too early.

Amen, bob: the question was a thinly veiled attempt to bait Obama into paying right into the Clintons' insane assertion that he was "frustrated by his losses in NH and NV." And YES: Zeleny was being a total jerk by yelling a question like that over the top of a crowd of supporters.

Barack Obama was not responding to his losses in NH and NV, he was responding to the dirty politics of the Clintons, and specifically, to the LIES coming from Bill.

Wake up America. The entire premise of HRCs candidacy is that Obama's just as much of a dirty politician as she is; that he's just as dishonest, just as corrupt. So you might as well vote for her because all politicians are awful, and at least she's experienced. WHAT THE HELL KIND OF RATIONALE FOR A PRESIDENCY IS THAT?!?!

We deserve better than that.

The truth of the matter is that Bill Clinton's campaigning is inappropriate for a former President. I don't care if his Missus is running for President. If she's that talented, she wouldn't need his constant assistance. If Bill can't keep his mouth shut now, imagine the petty chaos he'll create as America's First Man.

Bill and Hillary are two of the biggest liers man has ever seen. People seem to be fascinated by their "strategy," but it won't be funny when you have to prove to the gov. that you have health Insurance or you have to pay for it with yet ANOTHER payroll deduction (tax). It won't be funny when you get ANOTHER NFTA,CAFTA etc. and your jobs leave the country. Better wake-up! The Clintons are not a joke. When you laugh at somebody eleses expense, before long, you'll be paying the tab!

Obama feels because he is half black that should give him special treatment he is no better than the clintons or any one else is okay for him to go tpo a segregated church its okay for him to buy a house he cannot fford with a well known drug king pin come on people how blind can yuou be obama is the biggest joke of this race vote with your brains not skin color we are all the same

Obama is right. Clintons are running scared. A dog does not bark at a parked car.

Let us see if the press plays this over and over again and refers to it as a blow-up like they did with Bill Clinton and Mitt Romney reactions to the press over the last few weeks.

It seems increasingly that a vote for the Clintons is an endorsement of the cronyism, hyper-partisanship, and campaign hackjobs we've been forced to grow accustomed to.

Hillary represents, at best, a slight upgrade over our current knucklehead.

This is clear bisis on the part of the media, If Bill Clinton was any one but Bill Clinton his intro in every artical would read.

Is Bill Clinton getting into Obama's head?

The former President Bill Clinton (Fellon) spoke today....

Has everyone forgot that Clinton copped a plea on his last day in office? Or that the Special Prosector could have conviceted the Hil in any other local in the usa, but not washington DC She will lose the genreal by a wide margin and take the rest of the party with her and My bet is that Gore will then try to save the party. After all who is next? Obama? Could well be if he does not give up and let her rule the roost.

These two are way too much for the country to stand, and it would be a mess from day one.

The other part is the economic conditions not much a president can do to help the econimc conditions. Sorry but that is the truth. Her wild spending trying to do any thing will cost her in the end.

Her campaign will ever be a issue in the Gereral, as it is rifle with fraud and pay offs.

But who is surprised Iowa tried to help us out... but she tricked a lot of people who other wise would have voted for OBama into voting for McCain IN NH by crying it was Clinton tricks again Slick Willie at it again.

Hil must go. What will she do call Bill in AK. to come beat up someone who gives her a hard time in the WH? Bill would be hard to find as I am sure he would be with some bimbo.

Why does Obama keep doing Clinton's job for him? They've gone after this newbie and plan to paint him as incapable of dealing with the much fiercer Republican attacks to come. Obama, you're a good Clintonite politician, but you're not as good as the Clintons.

Jeff Zeleny doersn't like Barack Obama and has tried to get under his skin repeated ly on the campaign trail. Like many of the Times' reporters, and those at WaPo, they seem to be shilling for Hillary and Bill.

As any good reporter knows, you take ANY opportunity to talk to a candidate, on or off the record. Access is the name of the game and Zeleney just blew his.

Hillary wins and you will see same old guard come in. Nothing with change.

Vote for Hillary will give the GOP CPR.

I won't vote for her... Won't do it and 40% of dems won't do it either.

I would rather let McCain run the country further down the rat hole.

No . . . you mean there's a reporter out there that doesn't worship the ground Obama walks on? Well knock me over with a feather!

Lets us all not forget how many pardons Bill Clinton gave out on his last days in office. The great part of being a corrupt President, is that you can liberate your cronies from prison before you leave office and capitalize on drug trafficing and slave trading in a modern world. Today he announced he is liquidating his Camen investments and his partnership in Dubai. $20 million dollars on his partnership alone. What did it cost the taxpayers for that return? I am lost to understand how people can still support the Billary team when they are so obviously corrupt.

i dont understand why people say obama is losing or lost NH and NV.

he won in iowa.
he tied hillary in delegates in NH.
he got 1 more delegate than hillary in NV.

right now Obama is leading in delegates.
he is the leader in this race right now.

The Clintons are not getting in Obama's head. What they are doing is dangerously playing petty politics. They are surprised that the democratic populous has decided to take a critical eye, and make a solid choice for leadership. It is clear that the elephants will be swept from office not only in the WH, but the Congress as well. They have allowed the banking buddies and war machine friends to screw up this country. The american public has already said that a business man from Texas will never be president again.

Hillary thought that this was going to be a cake walk, but found out that there are other voices that are just as capable as her if not more capable to lead this country.

The tag team approach if they are not careful will turn blacks and progressive democrats and new voters away from the party. People are tired of the SOS that was popularized by the Republicans.

BILL'S OBAMA STRATEGY
It takes an attack dog to know an attack dog...Bill Clinton's ex-buddy Dick Morris' take on Bill's Obama Strategy below...point by point

"WHY is Bill Clinton courting such intense publicity, in evitably much of it negative?
Is he crazy? Crazy like a fox.

He has two goals and is achieving them both spectacularly.
First, he wants to be the same kind of lightning rod for Hillary that she was for him during his run for the presidency.

Now, she rarely gets hit anymore. They're hitting Bill instead.

The other method behind his madness is that Bill wants to suck up all the oxygen in the room and dominate the coverage of the Democratic contest. By doing so, he cuts Obama out of the news, pushes him off the front page, and usurps the headlines.

His tactics now are reminiscent of those he used to black out John Kerry during the lead-up to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Ultimately, the Clintons are playing a game of jujitsu with Obama, using his own strength against him.

By challenging Obama for the black vote - by promising to go door to door in South Carolina in minority neighborhoods, for example - Bill is highlighting the question: Will Obama carry the black vote? Of course, he will. He leads, 4 to 1, among African-Americans now.

But by making that the central question, Obama's South Carolina victory will be hailed as proof that he won the African-American vote. Such block voting will trigger the white backlash Sen. Clinton needs to win.

Once whites see blacks voting en masse for a black man, they will figure that it is a racial game and line up for Hillary. Already, she carries white voters by 2 to 1.

We know media moguls do not want Obama to win and they have been supporting hillary. This is another example. How about covering the pending multi million fraud against the clintons in Califronia.

From the Washington Post, a key read for coherent feminists interested in politics ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/broaddrick022599.htm

I respect feisty-ness, and I think there's a difference between being feisty and having someone "in your head." Obama's not taking Bill's crap smiling, which is a relief to see.

Yes Let's see if this story gets played over and over again - like Whitewater, like something called Filegate, like Hillary killed Vince Foster, like something called Travelgate - let's just see if it gets played the same way the Republicans and complicit Dems played the Clintons while in office.

You all kept trying and it didn't work so let's see if Obama can stand up to the scrutiny. Let's see if Obama is still standing at the end of the day after Bill says a few nasty things about him. Let's see what he does under oath when the Rezko thing gets heated up. Let's see what he has to say about Mr. Rezko (thank you Patrick Fitzgerald) when his name comes up in his trial. Let's have Mr. Obama explain his LAND deal in which he got a house worth 2 million thanks to his buddy Rezko. Let's get a special prosecutor to look into that LAND deal in which the Obamas profitted. Let's look at Michelle Obama's ties to corporate America and health care. Let's just....

It's an inappropriate question, really. It's a sports metaphor. In a sporting match, "getting in someone's head" means you're distracting them from executing their game plan.

I'm sure Obama doesn't want to spend the bulk of his time counterpunching, but accusations are part of the political game. Attacks need to be parried. Ask Kerry. It'd be easier if the attacks weren't so fuzzy and shifty, but addressing these attacks means Obama *does* have his head in the game.

The Clintons are engaging in an old Republican tactic, spreading FUD via innuendo and 'liberal' interpretations. It is disgusting and unbecoming. We'll see if Billary can count on the gullibility of the crowds to carry them to victory.

You've got the kidding me. Comments here are suggesting the media is on the Clintons' side? That's the biggest "fairy tale" I've hever heard. Hillary has had a horrible relationship with the media for decades. NBC outwardly admitted that they were mesmerized by Obama (the former Obama, that is, the candidate that was "above the fray" and "non adversarial" - we lost him). If anything, the media is so hard on the Clintons that this turn around into questioning Obama even ever so slightly is showing how weak of a person and a candidate Obama seems to be. Don't screw it up by letting him be another losing nominee like his buddy Kerry. Omg was Kerry a mess.

If he can't keep it together now the republicans will destroy him. The media has been letting slide and he's now face with people who are going to confront any thing he does or says and he can afford to make one mistake.

The media is salivating over Obama's mental breakdowns as of late. Trust me, they love to prop people up and tear them down. I think they are playing him with kid-gloves since he is so quick to scream RACISM.

Stick a fork in him. He is so done.

Whoa! Already acting like Bush. What a twerp.

The trouble with this guy is for some reason he thinks he should be protected from the grilling and smearing that the Clintons have endured for nearly twenty years. They're still on their feet, never got nasty with the press or even Ken Starr.

I guess this is Obama's "Chicago Smackdown." I doubt it's the strategy used by Mayor Daley.

fasteddie: Get up with the times. Hillary left SC yesterday, she's not going door-to-door. People are not such sheep as you think, Republicans only. Democrats, generally, think for themselves. That's why Hillary is still winning despite the media and the Democrats' touting of Obama.

Karen, a dog also barks at DANGER! Trying to alert those for which the dog is loyal to.

Obama ahead by delegates? Oh gd. You mean you rather focus on delegates than the people who are voting? Hmmmm.

At least Obama didn't cry.

Barack Obama came to Nevada knowing he had little chance of winning, and yet he fought on to gain a majority of the national delegates. Hillary came just a couple of days to South Carolina, mostly to participate in a nationally-televised debate, and then decided Sc is just not worth it and will actually be leaving the state well before the primary. Think about it. She's not interested in winning the people to her philosophy of governing; once she figured out the SC voters aren't worth anything to her, they became invisible. What a crass act.

It's funny how all these Obama supporters here are failing to mention that Obama attacked Hillary first. Please all you Obama supporters need to check your facts. I miss the Clinton White House Years and so does my wallet!!

Testy Obama = Dean Scream.

Stick a fork in him, he's done.

No one likes an ANGRY candidate. If he can't handle Clinton, how will he deal with McCain?

How will he deal with Kim Jong Il? Putin? Hu Jintao? Will he get "testy" with them as well? Complain that they're ganging up on him?

He'll win one primary by a smaller margin than he expects, and then he'll be annihilated on Super Duper Tuesday.

He's coming across as mean, mad, lame, weak, shaken and chastened. Not positive qualities for the Leader of the Free World.

He started out well, but he's flaming out. He needs a bit more seasoning before he'll be ready for prime time.

Interesting that your supporters really know you, when, as Senator you voted "present" over 100 times on crucial issues, rather than yes or no. Don't you have any views that you are comfortable with? Waiting to see who will clue you in on how to think? So let me see if I have this right; not fair that you are not a good debater, but totally fair for you to make dreamy speeches with no explanation on how you will do it. I mean other than you're a cheery fella and that has brought you this far. So cheery and aloof on real issues. Yeah, sounds like all the leaders I know.

So, is the news gonna show him losing his temper over and over again like they showed that clip of Bill last week?

First of all you delegate people need to check the NV state statue on that because the delegates of that state do not get awarded untill April.

Why did you use "confronted again"? First, the "again" is inaccurate. No where in your reporting does it suggest that Obama "confronted" Zeleny a first time. Both of Obama's initial statements came in response to questions from Zeleny. Second, "confronted" is a loaded term. It suggests that Obama came at him angrily. Actually, it suggests that he went at him physically. Instead, Obama said/asked "I will answer your question though off the record, would you like to talk off the record?"

Basically, quit editorializing, particularly when doing so seems like an attempt to make Obama seem angry or threatening. It might make people think the author of this piece has ... issues.

I'm glad Clinton is getting in Obama's head becuse apparently nothing else is!

TiffanyCraigBrown, you're funny.

Dick Morris' first name is most apt. What a Johnny Come Lately" he is. Gee, I am so glad the media digs under rocks for their talking heads.

Democrats, please remember: she CANNOT win the general. Keep your eye on the 11/08 ball before its too late. She will rally the Republicans like nobody else and John McCain will be our next President. She cannot win the general. Do something about it before its too late...remind every Democrat you know: a vote for Hillary is a vote for McCain.

We're not afraid of McCain, we can take him. Next!

The repub machine will tear Obama to shreds. Look how he reacts with Clintons under fire, repubs will tear him apart, Obama will completely loose it under the repub pressure and attacks that await him if he wins the nomination. If your a democrat do not spread remarks like those, we've had enough fear politics from this current presidency.

The Clintons are dead to me. My erstwhile political heroes have sullied themselves beyond repair with their cheap shots at Obama, a decent man. The Democratic Party does not belong to them and I deeply resent their rage at actually being challenged for its leadership.
I will never, ever, vote for them in November if they win the nomination. If I, a lifelong liberal Democrat, am saying that, just how many independents and Republicans do you think they'll steal away? Zero.

They are destroying my party from the inside and I'd rather trade 4 years of John McCain for finally freeing the Democrats from the Clintons' stranglehold. How dare they?

Of COURSE they're getting to him - the Clinton Machine is slicing him up pretty good, and now the media piles on. It's all so predictable - I hope his skin grows thicker.

In today's Washington Post, columnist Eugene Robinson speculated about Bill Clinton''s "red faced ... anger."

Here is a plausible explanation from the Post's own archives:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv
/politics/special/clinton/stories/broadd
rick022599.htm

Hillary was for Nafta, now she thinks NAFTA is not such a good idea. Hillary voted for the war, now she doesn't think the war is such a good idea. Hillary voted for open trade with China, now she doesn't think it's a good idea. Does she have any judgement or vision? Or does she just go with the sheep?

How about a visionary president!!
OBAMA 08

While we play politics, our economy is tanking and Bill Clinton just made
$20 million today from a Dubai partnership collaborated while he was president. His assets should be siezed and returned to the taxpayers of the US. Hillary wants her piece of the pie. Where is she worthy of support of any kind.

Yeah maybe he can sell the white house lawn to Rezco!

The Clinton's have shown their ugly, power hungry sides, and it ain't pretty.
They don't give a damn about the Democratic party at this time, only winning the nomination at any cost. It is a shame that the Democratic party is being divided by these squabbles, it might eventually cost the democrats, the presidency, this year.

the clintons are gross. it's unfathomable that anyone could actually like anything about them at this juncture. they're double-talking, hyper-ambitious slimebags who are trying to trump up race issues in order to trigger white racism against obama. he's not perfect, but at least he's not a 65-year old tool of an unethical, serpentine political dynasty.

Obama has become used to the press being all starry-eyed, asking him questions about “And just how inspiring ARE you, Senator? Please please tell us!”, and eating him up like candy.

He has never had to face the hostile microphones shoved in his face and reporters following him like jackals to catch every slip and misstep and jump him in a pack.

HILLARY HAS BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, AND CAN KEEP HER HEAD HIGH AND A SMILE ON, EVEN WITH HOSTILE PRESS. OBAMA REACTS LIKE A SULLEN TEENAGER BECASE HE HAS NEVER FACED IT, AND DOESN’T KNOW HOW.

That is the truth. Like him or not, HE IS NOT READY TO DO THIS. Democrats had better wake up and get behind the candidate who can hand the Republicans their asses on a platter in November, and can do it EVEN IF THE PRESS TRIES TO SLAM HER. Name me another Democrat can do that. There isn’t one.

Obama must know who Jeff Zeleny and anyone reading this article should also know who the reporter is and what his biases are in this race. His recent piece in the NYT has already been criticized on several blogs for the way it described the SC debate and its selective and deliberate uses of adjectives in describing Senator Obama. This is as much a story as Krugman writing another hit piece on Obama would be. Has NYT not made its endorsement yet? I wish they would, so their credibility in this fight would diminish.

When's the last time a former President constantly blasts a member of his own party running for President. And blasts him every day all day?

Well said CarolinaGirl.

a sign of deep frustration and realization that he will never win at this time in history--his support is sinking and he knows it--he has reached his zenith

Obama should just cut his losses and move on. He's constantly on defense and it doesn't look good. Sure, the Clintons made some distortions, but it has happened on both sides. Obama is just upset that they can get it out there in the media better than he can. It's politics. He's coming off holier than thou. His hands are not the least bit clean. In fact, right after the ABC debate, when they made the truce, his spokeman went after Hilary, and Hilary's spokeman reamined cordial. In this last debate, he misquoted what Bill said about him, and he misquoted what Hilary said about the bankruptcy vote. Just move on, dude.

Obama does not like to answer questions! Geez people! Get it right! He's a talker, not a responder. All talk no action. He only wants to talk about his opponents not himself. See, part of his supporters’ campaign strategy is something like this; “Don’t like them, vote for Obama and if you can't vote for him, don't vote for them. Even if you end up financially worse off in the end, at least we stood on some sort of principle of Hate, uh, uh, hope......”

Maybe it's a little disoncerting for a Democratic candidate for President to be constantly attacked by a former President of his own party.

How is Obama supposed to respond? By attacking Bill Clinton? A former President of his own party.

Everyone just needs to cut it out, because all politicians are scum. So untill we as americans get off are mcDonalds eating Starbucks drinking asses and start some revolution, just vote for what ever scumbag you relate to better!!

If anyone taped the SC debate, I ask you to forward to the part about health care. Watch how Obama shoots Edwards dirty looks TWICE. I didn't catch it at first, but rewatched it tonight and couldn't believe it. The camera person caught the first glare, then zoomed out to show Barack and Edwards on the second glare. Your sides will split watching that again.

President Bill Clinton has sullied the office he held for eight years by the manner in which he has conducted himself in his wife's campaign. He should take the high road and let his wife do the slugging. His performance will only hurt her campaign and make us ask the question again -- do we really want Hillary and Bill Clinton in the White House again? As a life long Dem, and one who voted for BC twice, I am frankly sad by the way he has conducted himself -- she lost my vote by his behavior.

If Hillary was not in the race, EVERYONE in the Democratic Party would be lobbying him to campaign for THEIR candidate, even in the primaries.

Only the people who think their candidate is hurt by his efforts are complaining. This is uncharted territory and complainers look like whiners - including the media.

I would like to thank Bill and Hillary Clinton for doing what, up until now, I thought was impossible; making the republicans look civilized.
The republicans look good by comparison...and I can't believe I just wrote that. But it's true...since when are the republicans the ones to take high road?
We need a uniter. Hillary couldn't unite a light bulb with a light socket.

It's clear from the Reno editorial transcript that the Clinton's are distorting Obama's interview for political advantage. It is also clear from the past two weeks that they are not above playing the race card, if ever so subtly, in order to marginalize Obama and drive him out of the race. Bill Clinton has become the Carl Rove of the Democratic Party. It's sad, really. More pathetic than sad even.

Obama is once again showing the world what a crybaby he is. His behavior is childish.

I would be frustrated too dealing with bold-faced liars. Hillary repeated the lie last night (1-21-08), saying at he debate that she "read the transcript" and that Barack said that the GOP had "good ideas." She is too shrewd for this to have been an error-this repeating a known lie even after it had been disproved by the media!

That's right JB! Sock it to 'em baby. Where were you people when the media had a cannibalistic feast when they thought they got Hillary out of the way? Why weren't you all standing up against that? No one is calling Obama names or making derogatory statements about him. They are saying what he is doing wrong. For some reason that's not allowed. And all his supporters have in his defense over and over is insults about the Clintons, old dirt that we are over and wiser about. Truth is, there are more people who are Democrats than there are Republicans. So even if the Republican base unites against Clinton, we still have a chance for the majority of the people to live a little better.

Barack is just throwing a hissy fit that Hillary has Big Dog Bill and Barack has Franken-Kerry the loser.

I hope drunken Kennedy endorses Barack next.

Irma come onboard HIllary Nation!

As a Hillary supporter, I have to say what's truly sad is that all this negativity and talk about the past isn't necessary. If Iowa had seen the Hillary we saw in New Hampshire, Hillary would have won Iowa ... but Hillary's success in NH has clearly been erased from the campaign scene. My questions: Which is the real Hillary? ... the year in Iowa or the five days in NH. So far, that answer seems to be the former rather than the latter, so I'd like to know why? "Personal in NH" Hillary could win the nomination without burning so many bridges ... but no we've been forced back to arrogant Hillary who lectures us daily so WHY? Is it a broken culture within the campaign that's giving her this bad advice?

To all you Barack supporters-

When Barack loses - which he will- just think- you can play the race card again and again and again.

Maybe you can loot the streets and get a free tv out of it, eh?

i love obama. he is a kind and thoughtful man of good judgement. his best thoughts and words fly above the pornography of these events. what a shame the way negativity always wins. it is so much easier to tear down than build. never underestimate the stupidity of the american voter. it is sad, real sad.

I cannot believe anyone in their right mind would want someone as underhanded and evil as Hilary Clinton to be their President. How can any voter ever trust what she would say if she were President if she cannot be trusted in what she says in her campaign. If we think GW Bush is bad, wait until Hilary takes control, I firmly believe that would be the end of the US as we know it.

Claire, can you be that gullible as to believe everything you are told?

surprising that the press doesn't look at it from another angle. That maybe obama has gotten into both Clinton's heads and that is why they have been going after him so much.
Amazing how defined by the old fashioned conventional thinking and wisdom that the press and many posters do not concider things from a different view.
especially concidering that Obama doesn't fit into the boxes that people keep trying to put him in.
I won't be surprised to find the press with egg on their faces again by playing the games of the clintons and looking at things from their point of view.

What is going on with ABC, is this what they call political analysis? Give me a break, MSM is so pro Hillary that it's not even funny

Sorry, to those of you good people who are Obama supporters. It must seem real bad right now. I don't have any ill will against you, just the double standards. I guess we are enjoying our turn for once.

The ones LOSING IT are the Clintons. Hillary is something like 20 pts ahead of Obama in the national polls. Why is she even bothering to attack Obama? Why give him FREE COVERAGE? Because....each State that Obama approaches, his polls improve and get within margin