Political overstatement of the day award

CNN reports on a new poll out concerning the North Carolina Democratic primary.
A day or two ago, Obama had a 9 point lead there.
The new poll shows him with an 8 point lead.
CNN headlines that therefore the race is "tightening."

Hmmm. So if a baseball team has a 9 run lead; and in the next inning that lead is cut to 8...but that's all...

Do we say the game is tightening?
And the mainstream media wonders why the public, in polls, indicates it doesn't trust it.
Sheesh!

Youtube Democrat questioners unclear on the concept

Gosh, says one of the Democrats who got to question Republicans at the CNN presidential debate the other night, what did I do? "Retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr, who asked why gays should not be allowed to serve openly in the military, is a member of Clinton's steering committee on gay and lesbian issues, something her campaign disclosed in a news release in June....On CNN's "American Morning," Kerr said he has done nothing for the Clinton campaign and that the video was "a private initiative on my own." He also said he has supported Republicans."

But sir, you apparently led CNN to believe--certainly CNN led it's audience to believe--that you were an "unaffiliated" and perhaps even undecided voter, with no connection to any campaign. You weren't. You're for Clinton. And why shouldn't we suspect, therefore, that your question, far from seeking to elicit information to help undecided voters, was rather an attempt to play gotcha?

Another thing about that debate last night...

Big problems with the questions CNN chose for last night's GOP debate. First, and perhaps most importantly, the questions themselves were bad, as Johnathan Martin of the Politico notes: "...the questions chosen seemed to reflect a Manhattan elite caricature of what defines the Republican party. And as Barnes gets at, there were few (if any) questions about kitchen table issues like education, health care, energy, jobs, and the mortgage crisis that many Republicans, as well as millions of other Americans, care about. Instead, it was all the conservative hot buttons, real (immigration) and perceived (Rebel flag)."

And then there the questioners. For some reason--most likely out of laziness and an inability to do their homework of vetting the questioners--CNN allowed it to turn into a chance for Democrats to cross-examine the Republican candidates. Unbelievable. And people wonder why the Republican candidates prefer Fox News. In toto:

To refresh:
1. The retired brigadier general is on Hillary Clinton's gay and lesbian steering committee.
2. The young woman who asked about jailing women who get abortions has stated on her YouTube profile page that she backs John Edwards.
3. The "Log Cabin Republican" has written on the web about "why I'm supporting Barack Obama."
4. The guy who asked Ron Paul if he would run as an independent also asked a question at the Democratic debate and has told reporters that he "likes Bill Richardson."
Is America such a small country that Mark Strauss of Davenport, Iowa gets to ask two questions of candidates?