Let's quickly focus on the Electoral College math. It takes 270 out of 538 Electoral College votes to become president. In the last four elections, the GOP won all four elections in 16 states for a total of 135 Electoral College votes. The Democrats won all four times in 19 states (including D.C.), tying up a monster 248 ECVs. Darn scary if you are on the GOP train.

The Democrats must capture only 22 ECVs from the remaining 16 in-play states to win the presidential brass ring. From the 16 in-play states (states that split ECVs over the last four elections), the ones that count the most are Florida (27 ECVs), Ohio (20), Georgia (15), Tennessee (11), Missouri (11), and Arizona (10). If recent presidential election math runs true to course during the 2008 election and the GOP and the Democrats snare the normal 135 and 248 ECVs, respectively, from the in-the-bag states, the Democrats need only Florida to move into the White House. The Democrats last won Florida in 1996. But even if they lose Florida, the Democrats could take the White House by instead grabbing Ohio and any one of the other states on my short list above. Some nasty math for the GOP.