I'm here...it's been awhile but school has been hectic lately. As for the Maryland poll...if you believe it, then man, you got some issues. Survey USA is not a credible polling organization...I am maintaining my belief that Maryland falls Kerry's way by 10-15%. As for North Carolina going Bush's way, of course it will...he carried it by 13 points last time out. Where Edwards' presence on the ticket is really helping in North Carolina is in the gubernatorial and senatorial races, both which show solid leads for the Democratic candidates.
Bush is currently leading by about 3% based on my observation of all the polls, which is much lower than where he should be, and when we look at polling numbers a little deeper, we see a trend that should cause John Kerry to be leading (but he's got some serious issues himself and has run a terrible campaign since the DNC). 54% believe that America is headed on the wrong track and according to John Zogby, 52% have an unfavorable opinion of George W. Bush's job performance. Only 38% believe that Iraq was worth the casualities and the financial costs. According to NBC, 58% of Americans want a hypothetical second Bush term to be "drastically different" from his first. I mean the dynamics are there and if Kerry, who has sharpened his message lately, is able to finally reach out to voters, then my guy is gonna pull out a close victory. Remember, undecideds go to the challenger and remember, the 5% that Ralph Nader is receiving right now will slip back to 1-2% once people realize the importance of this election. And also recall the "late" nature of Democratic-inclined voters to make decisions later in the campaign cycle than GOPers.
So, what I am saying is, I am still confident that John Kerry and John Edwards will win this November.
Keep the fire burning, brother! 
