ELECTION NOTES (3:52 PM Pacific Time)

As of this morning I was optimistic. Nothing I have seen since has changed that optimism. Yes, I would have loved for exit polls to have been tighter, but the reality is that these exit polls are meaningless. Republicans don't answer them, period. One source who has earned my respect in the past reports that these polls are oversampling blacks at a rate of four-to-one. Don't know. Do know that Kerry would have been president in a landslide had these polls been anywhere near accurate four years ago, and the fatal flaw of these polls -- that Republicans just don't answer them -- has not changed.

Here's an interesting tidbit, though. Two separate sources say that the Obama camp is panicking in Minnesotta, desperately trying to call up volunteers in a race that the Democrat Party Chairman says is "much closer than we expected." Obama is also desperately trying to get resources to MO and NC.

Ed Rendell, whose job it is to sell confidence could only say he "thinks" Obama is going to take the state that Democrats John Murtha has called filled with "racists" and Barack Obama has promised to bankrupt by destroying the coal industry and by sending electricity prices "skyrocketing." Earlier Rendell had voiced disappointment in the turnout in Obama-centric Philadelphia.

Obama's lead in Indiana has vanished. Not good for Obama since Democrats tend to vote early in the day (since so many don't have jobs or kids to take to school, etc).

More to come.