Live Blog: The Really Important News

11:18 p.m.: The CNN Interactive Map is showing the frist numbers from Kentucky. McCain up 60-38 with 3,800 votes counted.

I know, I know. I just wanted to report something.

11:11 p.m.: The even more dramatic Alert on the New York Times: Oprah will be attending the Obama rally at Grant Park in Chicago. This, truly, must be the anointment of the Messiah.

11:08 p.m.: CNN's dramatic "Voter Alert" has a man sitting in front of a computer pointing at a really tiny bar chart. All here note that this is not nearly as impressive as the BBC Swingometer.

11:02 p.m.: Polls closed in Indiana and Kentucky but absolutely no info coming from them. Nada. So random CNN specialists wander around saying, "Break it down", with nothing to break down.

Apart from the 93% who answered "Not So Good" to the question, "How do think the economy is going?"

10:55 p.m.: Polls close in five minutes in most of Indiana and Kentucky. Which means I have to mention:

In the European Champions' Football League tonight, Chelsea lost 3-1 to Roma with Deco (the football player, not the singer from The Commitments) red-carded and Liverpool got a "well-dodgy" penalty to draw 1-1 with Atletico Madrid.

I do not know what this portends for either McCain or Obama....

The Hoosier State Speaks

Watch what happens in Indiana for early insights. Canuckistan well remembers the 2000 election when he was living in West Lafayette, Indiana and the polls closed at 6 p.m. and the state was declared for Bush before the clock struck one minute after. There was no election in Indiana that year as neither campaign spent any money on advertising because of how solidly Republican the state was. Indiana hasn't gone for a Democrat since 1964. I don't think that will change this year but if it is close that's an early indication of a good night for Obama and a possible preview of Ohio.

Live Blog: Conspiracy Theory of the Night

10:52 p.m.: CNN just unveiled its Magic Map. It's OK but not nearly as good as Canuckistan's, which not only has a lined piece of paper but two magic markers to go with it.

10:44 p.m.: For what's it worth, the exit polls --- which apparently aren't relevant anymore --- show 72% of new voters favouring Obama. And 63% of those who had Iraq as top issue went for the Senator from Illinois

10:40 p.m.: We've had contact from friends in Beirut who are watching the results eagerly. Meanwhile, the "Dublin crowd" (Clinton Institute for American Studies, University College Dublin) phone from the Guinness Brewery --- I am shocked and appalled that they don't have a Web-link to Enduring America.

10:31 p.m.: Fox's insightful contribution to voter analysis: 33% would "welcome" an Obama victory; 23% would be "scared".

10:21 p.m.: A friend enters the party and wonders if the Republicans missed a trick with its election strategy.

"Have you noticed how similar the letters of Osama-Biden are to Osama Bin Laden?" she ponders. "Indeed, all you need to do is change a B to a S and add an NLA."

Yes, S-NLA! If I remember correctly, that was the acronym for the Symbionese Liberation Army, the outfit that kidnapped and converted Patty Hearst in the 1970s along with a few bank robberies, shootings, etc.

Obama-Biden connects to Al Qa'eda connects to urban post-Vietnam terrorists (are you reading, William Ayers?) --- perfect!

Live Blog: Best Election Question of the Night

10:13 p.m.: CNN tries to drums up traffic on its website with the question "How would you change the way we elect the President?"

I've answered, "Naked oil wrestling."

Sarah Palin has done her television photo-op for her vote in Alaska. I'm not saying she was stung by the mockery of her $150,000 wardrobe, but she definitely dressed down for the occasion.

The Gamblers' View

It's interesting checking out the bookmakers' take on the events. For weeks various bookies have had Obama as an easy winner. Paddypower.com even paid out on bets on Obama several days ago. Obama is still an easy favourite but clearly some money is coming in on McCain, perhaps influenced by early exit polling and Obama's margin of victory in the electoral college has dropped from 160 to 150.