More Quick Pres. Items

--NBC/WSJ poll (Obama by 1) shows big bump for Obama in favorability compared to before both conventions; also improvement for him on leadership/commander-in-chief questions. McCain gets big boost on change perception -- although still half of Obama's number. (Also, big jump in both parties' favorability. We'll see how long that lasts.)

--McCain released a web video ad about Obama's support for sex ed starting in kindergarten, because people have probably forgotten since Romney attacked Obama for it last year. The video says Obama wants kids to learn sex before reading, and seems to come awfully close to showing the candidate leering evilly at a group of white children while a voice warns: "wrong for your family." Kindergarten sex ed was recommended by a task force of the Department of Education under George Bush Sr. 17 years ago -- perhaps this is why McCain wanted to abolish the Dep't?

--"Lipstick on that pig" is the day's topic of conversation, in case you missed it.

--Several months ago, my esteemed and insightful colleague Steven Stark suggested that we could be headed for an electoral college tie. The Obama folks are not oblivious to the possibility; so (as Stark suggested as a possibility), they are looking to Nebraska, which awards its electoral votes by district, and hoping to win a potentially tie-breaking vote in Omaha.

--Biden does a campaign stop in Nashua, NH today. He'll swing through the Massachusetts ATM for cash before and after. McCain to NH this weekend.