126^th in continuing blog series on the administration push to war. The big news of this month is the election, which turns out to make little difference to the course of the war in Iraq. Although Sen. John Kerry looks good for the win at least in the electoral college, a desperately micro-targeted effort by the GOP, the last-minute appearance on television by Osama bin Laden, and the long-running effects of swift-boating take their toll. One final factor: on election day itself, exit polls are released around noon or in the early afternoon indicating that Kerry is ahead, ...   more »