It is not just that national polls remain tight in the presidential race. State polling is even more snug in some key battleground states. And in states not thought to be in play, the race has gotten even tighter, at Barack Obama’s expense. This helpful report from Iowa explains what is happening in a state which McCain team members would have conceded a month ago was not in play. The same tightening is happening in New York and Minnesota.

This doesn’t mean McCain will necessarily win any of these three, but Obama may need to spend some time and money in two of the three. And McCain has made steady progress in some key states that certainly are up for grabs.

It is hard to deny that something has happened over the last month or so. It is true that closer doesn’t mean “ahead.” And it is even more true that a week, let alone a month, in a presidential race is an eternity. But there is a reason why The Chosen One’s die-hard apologists have gone into overdrive (h/t Mark Hemingway) and why Obama is going to “hit back:” Obama’s position of dominance in the race has slipped and the Obama camp doesn’t have a clue (other than attacking furiously and fanning the netroots conspiracy flames) what to do about it.