Pennsylvania & Admiral Ackbar

As previously noted, McCain's only hope is Pennsylvania. But what if the Obama campaign are cleverly, cunningly luring the McCain campaign into making their stand on a battleground in which they have no real hope? What if Pennsylvania is, as Admiral Ackbar would say: "A TRAP!"

Let's consider the 'evidence' of faux-Obama weakness:

• A leaked Obama poll (by a "rogue" agent no less) showing Obama up only two points; and
  
• Recently declassifed communiques from PA Governor Rendell to the Obama High Command pleading for the return of Senator Obama to the Keystone state.
  

I'm sure that the McCain Alliance (secretly massing at Sullust) is already congratulating themselves on their glorious victory to be at End...errrr, Pennsylvania. But no! For the polls actually look like this:

And Governor Rendell says Obama is on course to over-perform Kerry's 419,000 Philadelphia-area result with an over/under of 470,000-500,000 votes. 

The good Governor also notes that: "If you look at the polls, the breakdown of the polls, Barack Obama is carry South Central Pennsylvania, he's carry Cumberland and Dolphin and places like that and it's pretty remarkable as no Democrat since Lyndon Johnson has carried those areas."

Perhaps no plan is too cunning for the Clausewitzian genius of Plouffe and Axelrod. Afterall, On Politik would never engage in Ritchie-Hook-esque warrentless strategic speculation - unless of course this was reverse-reverse psychology...