FINALLY, BUSH GOES UNDER THE BUS

With dim Electoral College projections,

NBC News projects Obama clinch
By MIKE ALLEN 10/24/08 7:45 PM EDT
The Politico

NBC News, which keeps the most widely followed of the media electoral-college estimates, on Friday night said it is moving the closely watched battlegrounds of Virginia and Colorado to “lean Obama,” putting its estimate for the Democratic nominee over the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

Politico’s 2008 Swing State Map, based on Real Clear Politics polling averages, gives Obama an even wider electoral-vote margin over McCain, 375 to 163.

Former Bush strategist Karl Rove, on Rove.com, has his tally at 306 for Obama to 171 for McCain, with 61 tossups.

McCain and Palin have decided that it's time to jettison Bush.

Palin calls Bush a major obstacle for campaign
Republican ticket targets administration in bid to boost poll numbers
msnbc.com and NBC News
updated 2 hours, 49 minutes ago

GREEN, Ohio - President Bush’s unpopularity is the No. 1 problem for the Republican presidential ticket, vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said in an interview airing Friday, breaking sharply with the president as the campaign enters its final days.

In an interview Thursday with The Washington Times, McCain spoke of Bush in tones bordering on contempt, ticking off a litany of what he said were the president’s failures.