While reading "5 Reasons Why McCain Has Pulled Ahead" on Politico.com, I was inundated with poll numbers and percentages for male voters, female voters, white voters, black voters, Ohio voters, Missouri voters and yes, even Wal-Mart voters. What?

Here's an excerpt..."A recent internal Republican poll found that 30 percent of likely voters shop at Wal-Mart at least once a week. Obama retained a slim 45-42 edge with Wal-Mart women—but 64 percent of men in the group favored McCain against just 29 percent who preferred Obama."

Really? I thought almost everybody went to Wal-Mart at least once a week. I guess if I go to Kroger I'm less likely to vote. Now, I understand they didn't really mean that, but give me a break. I understand that our job as journalists is to inform the nation on the issues and provide insightful analysis, and I realize that polling is a huge part of it, but aren't we taking it just a little bit too far?

Interested in the accuracy of polls, I did a little more research. I found a segment that was aired on CNN Sept. 16, 2000. The following is a short excerpt:

"Actually the one state that I pay a lot of attention to, because it has voted for the winner in every election since 1948, is Delaware. There was a poll released in Delaware yesterday that showed Gore up by 10 points." - Keating Holland, CNN Polling Director (Full transcript)

Obviously this poll was a little off. Now, I'm not sure how that specific poll changed between mid-September and November 2000, but the point is that it was wrong anyway. And they are going to continue to just putter out what is, in my opinion, useless information. The only poll that matters to me is taking place November 4.