Following the RNC, McCain-Palin Ticket Surging Beyond Expectations

What’s that sound I hear? A bounce for McCain-Palin from the Republican National Convention that exceeded my expectations (H/T Rocky Mountain Right). A 10-point lead among likely voters … seriously?

At this point, it’s an outlier, but the trend is undeniable. The Republican ticket leads in the Real Clear Politics average (which includes McCain’s 1-point Rasmussen edge and 3-point Gallup Tracking Poll lead but not his 4-point tilt from Zogby) for the first time in about six months.

There’s a lot of campaigning left to do, but John McCain is in significantly better shape at this point than almost anyone would have forecast him doing. As I see it, the Presidential contest has moved from “Obama’s race to lose” to “a toss-up.” I’ll take it.