Forget the presidential election polls

So this was on the front page of The Herald-Dispatch on Tuesday:

In an early look at how people view the presidential race, Barack Obama had a narrow 48 to 42 percent edge when pitted against John McCain, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll. Clinton was essentially tied with McCain, getting 46 percent to his 45 percent.

I ignore these stories. They're okay for getting an overall mood of the nation, I guess, but we all know that there is not one big election this fall. There are 50 state elections. It's the Electoral College vote that decides who the next president will be. The last thing I read on this was whether McCain could retain states that Bush narrowly won in 2004 and how many states that went for Kerry are there for McCain to win.

If I could remember who wrote it, I would link it. If I find a story like that, I will bring it to your attention. To me, that is the real story of this election -- how the race will play out in individual states.