A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

A Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll this week shows the Illinois senator leading by nine points, while a Pew Research Center survey gives him a seven-point lead. But an Investor's Business Daily-TIPP poll shows Sen. Obama with a nearly four-point advantage. Recent polls by Rasmussen Reports and Zogby International show Sen. Obama leading by four and five points, respectively.

One Gallup poll shows the Democratic nominee's lead has shrunk since last week, falling to six points from 10. "Clearly, the race has tightened," says Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Daily.

Gallup's likely voter poll shows an Obama lead of only two points, well within the margin of error. The Associated Press-Yahoo! poll also shows a very tight race. I know that there are a lot of people who think that this race is as good as done, but they may be in for a big surprise.