3-Day Halloween

What, with the candidates' constant costumes of an irritated monkey and a sulky Frankenstein...

Here's Slate's latest anaylysis:

"Analysis Nov. 1, noon ET: Last night we warned that Florida and Ohio were on a knife's edge and that Kerry could not survive if he lost both. This morning we got two polls that nudged both states ever so slightly back to Bush. The only reason we've had these states leaning one way or the other in the last 24 hours is that we decided at the outset of this project to allocate even the iffiest states. When you look at all the data, Florida and Ohio are tossups. By favoring one criterion over another, you can make a solid argument for either candidate in either state. Last night the weight of evidence was heavier for Kerry by three ounces. Today it's heavier for Bush by two ounces. We warned last night not to make too much of Kerry's 299. We'll warn now not to make too much of Bush's 286. Here is the math that matters: If all the states in which the data lean discernibly to either candidate vote as the polls suggest, the election will come down to Florida and Ohio. If Bush takes both, he wins. If Kerry takes either, he wins. Since the odds in each state are approximately 50-50, with a tiny edge to Bush, the combined probability of Kerry winning the election is about 70 to 75 percent."


I, myself, danced Halloween night away in a 1950's Grace Kelly (in "To Catch a Thief") zombie costume, to the tunes of zylophone music and sexy burlesque.

For the actual most frightening night of the year, tomorrow night, I will be in one of the circles of hell, reporting from a local Republican party headquarters. On assignment. Don't tell me my job isn't glamorous. And cringe worthy.