"The Only Sure Things are STILL Death and Taxes..."

The debates are a done deal.

Sarah Palin has pretty much used up her fifteen minutes.

And the “serious” business of the home stretch is underway.

Meanwhile, the “experts” are telling us that all the polls indicated Obama pulling away from McCain, making it, in their opinion, pretty much a done deal that we are about to elect the first African American President of the United States.

Maybe.
Maybe not.

Just ask Tom Dewey.

It was pretty much a “done deal” that he was a shoe in to boot Harry Truman out of the White House in 1948.

At one time or another, we’ve all seen the picture of Truman holding up the “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline.

Political savvy and expertise aside, for my money, there is no wiser interpreter of the body politic than Yogi Berra.

The baseball player, not the cartoon bear.

The bear said, “hey, mister ranger, sir, could I have that pick a nick basket?”

The ball player said, “It aint over till it’s over.”

Obama reportedly told his folks this past week to be cool and not get cocky.
Smart man.

And good writers, too, cause it would have been all too easy to tell his folks not to get all “Dewey-eyed” just yet.

I don’t trust opinion polls.

It’s just like House says when he’s diagnosing patients.

“Everybody lies.”

Until they get behind the curtain and pull the lever.

Or push the button.

Does anybody actually pull a lever anymore?

I digress.

It aint, indeed, over till its over.

And, just to add an additional thickening to the plot, check out this online poll from CNN.com this morning:

Have you made a final decision on which candidate should be the next president?

Yes 92% 223409
No 8% 18753

Total Votes: 242162

I have to admit that I’m a little perplexed.

The other “polls” tell us that Obama is pulling farther away each day.

This poll, which doesn’t ask for a choice, one way or the other, indicates that in a group of almost a quarter million people, nine out of ten have made up their minds.

Obama in a nine to one landslide?

I think not.

McCain in a stunning nine to one upset?

Uh, no.

The bottom line here, kids, is that, with all due respect to Wolf and his “best political team on television”, not to mention the plentiful other mouthpieces telling us what’s going to happen before it happens, “predictions” are useful for one, and only one, thing.

Fun small talk.

Until the votes are actually cast and counted, predictions mean squat.

Just ask Al Gore.

Or Tom Dewey.