McCain says he has Obama just where he wants Obama. That's why McCain and Palin have to campaign in what were once reliably Republican states

John McCain in the new stump speech yesterday:

My friends, we've got them just where we want them."

He said that yesterday in Virginia on the same day he was campaigning in North Carolina. Later this week, Sarah Palin is heading to Indiana:

But it's a measure of how the Obama-Biden campaign, rolling in money, has forced the GOP candidates to play defense far too long into the campaign. They've recently also been forced to shore up support in two other once-staunch-Republican states -- Virginia and North Carolina.

Even if the Democratic ticket doesn't take Indiana on Nov. 4, it's forced the Republicans to "waste" a precious day of candidate time defending the heartland state and not chipping away at Democratic states elsewhere.

Indiana hasn't voted Democratic in a presidential election since the year Palin was born.

I think, my friends, we've got them just where we want them.

Also, Taegan Goddard has four new Quinnipiac state polls:

Colorado: Obama 52%, McCain 43%

Michigan: Obama 54%, McCain 38%

Minnesota: Obama 51%, McCain 40%

Wisconsin: Obama 54%, McCain 37%

Said pollster Peter Brown: "Sen. Obama's leads in these four battleground states are as large as they have been the entire campaign. Those margins may be insurmountable barring a reversal that has never been seen before in the modern era in which polling monitors public opinion throughout the campaign."

Cross those four states off your list, Sarah. Have fun in Indiana. You better head to North Dakota, too.