Whaaaaa . . . ?

This does not look good:

Kerry pulls ads from Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bowing to political realities, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has canceled plans to begin broadcasting television commercials in Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana and the perennial battleground of Missouri.

The decision to shrink his political playing field reduces Kerry's strategic options — at least for now — in the homestretch of the campaign. George W. Bush won all four states in 2000, and Kerry can't win the White House without taking one or two of them away from the Republican incumbent.

. . . Plans are still in place to air ads starting the second week of October, campaign officials said, but those will likely be tabled, too.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Arizona, Arkansas and Louisiana are unlikely to see Kerry ads unless there is a major shift in the campaign's dynamics.

Aren't ads designed to drive those shifts?

Ohio and Florida, with a combined 47 electoral votes, offer Kerry his best hope of claiming territory won by Bush in 2000. After that, the options dwindle to a few small states: New Hampshire, Nevada, West Virginia and Colorado.

According to The Votemaster, AZ is now within 1% and AR within 3%, for a total of 11 EV's. LA and MO, for 19 EV's, might be out of reach (8% and 6%, respectively), but I don't see the logic in abandoning Arizona and Arkansas.

Of course, I'm no campaign strategist. But after posting this below, the fact that my state may lose the attention of the Kerry campaign is a bit disheartening.

On the other hand, FL and OH are very close, and carry 47 EV's between them, so perhaps this is the wisest move.

Regardless, I still say Slackers Unite! We could still determine this election.

Update: Aaargh. I just realized that Nader is off the ballot in AR, but had 2% in the latest ARG poll. Assuming the Nader voters would fall to Kerry, the race here in AR is within MOE. I really don't like the fact that he pulled those ads.