Would you say reading polls is baffling, somewhat baffling, totally baffling, beyond baffling, all of the above?

Wal-Mart shoppers are with John McCain.

The Starbucks crowd is divided.

'These are among the findings of a poll conducted by National Public Radio, not necessarily associated with Sam's Club in most people's minds, in 14 critical battleground states.'

About this time of every election year the publication of political polls starts taking on a life of its own. Like the undead in those 1950s movies.

They're everywhere -- who's up among playground supervisors, why isn't the Democrat doing better among car salesmen, dog-lovers love McCain, wine-sippers prefer Obama, not every woman votes the same

You wade through all those numbers and age groups and economic criteria and that +/- stuff and you're not in there. You simply don't exist. Apparently, you are unique on the planet.

And, anyway, by tonight you'll hear about another poll that totally contradicts what you just heard at breakfast from that female TV anchor whose hair never moves.'

Mark Silva - as reported in the Los Angeles Times