I'm happy to report that for the first time in quite a few years, I've read a piece by Michael Barone that wasn't ruined by his Republican bias.

It's a pretty basic article for non-junkies on polling, and it covers issues ranging from the Bradley Effect to exit polls with a brisk competence. The only false note was his suggestion that Barack Obama's lead in the polls is roughly the same lead Thomas Dewey enjoyed at this point in 1948.

For political people over a certain age, Barone's devolution into Republican talking points distribution has been a sad development. As co-founder of the Almanac of American Politics, Barone once was (and still could be, if he wanted to) the preeminent objective numbers-cruncher of them all. And indeed, the Almanac itself remained relatively free of Barone's Republican proclivities until pretty recently (I did a review of the 2006 edition noting the growing starboard tilt of that onetime Bible of Politics).

So it's nice to find a brief moment when the old Barone--the better Barone--reappears. We've missed him.