ticket. how much will the debates matter? with iowa one of 30 states castingle balan casting ballots by the end of the month? do you know that mccain beat obama on election day, and obama got it in early voting. things can change overnight with a great debate performance, but again, mark hallprin, time is running out. he s still behind in too many places to win. he doesn t have as of today an obvious electoral college path, and he s not going to make it up on the ground with enthusiasm anymore. let s bring it kristen welker at the white house for you. by the end of the mow, 30 states are casting early absentee ballots, that includes five battleground states. is the president s team confident they can keep governor romney from closing the gaps as we see in the polls as of today? good morning, alex. i think the obama team is confident but they re cautious. they re six weeks until election day. that s a lifetime when it comes to politics. folks have already started t