posted July 14, 2008 at 15:29 EST in Other Props

BetUS online sportsbook visitors who like to bet on politics are closely observing the goings-on along the campaign trail, especially as the Democrats and Republicans have chosen their two candidates. From time to time, different propositions related to politics will appear at the BetUS.com site, and we hope you take a long look at them.

Let's glance at the latest odds as they are posted at BetUS Sportsbook:

BetUS 2008 Election Political Odds

To Win 2008 Presidential Election

BARACK OBAMA -225

JOHN McCAIN +175

People who reside in the more liberal side of the political landscape when it comes to civil liberties were somewhat surprised when Barack Obama cast a vote on Wednesday to revise the FISA (Foreign Intelligent Surveillance Act) in such a way that it not only greatly expands government power, to an unprecedented level, to invade the privacy of Americans in its program of warrant-less wiretapping, but also grants immunity to telecommunications companies (like AT&T, Verizon, etc.) from having done it in the past and doing it in the future.

Twenty-eight United States Senators opposed this revision. Hillary Clinton was one of them. But Barack Obama was not.

And that has certainly disappointed many liberals, Constitutionalists and civil libertarians who had expected Obama, who has sold himself as the candidate for "change," voting to not only protect the status quo, but to continue an abrogation of the Fourth Amendment that has gone unchecked.

Russ Feingold, the senator from Wisconsin, fought against the bill and especially its immunity provision. He told guest host Rachel Maddow on MSNBC's "Countdown" program, "This is a sad moment. It is a black mark not only on the Democrats but on the Congress and in the history of our country." He added, "This is a terrible piece of legislation. It's one of the greatest assaults on our Constitution in the history of our country."

At the same time, Feingold did not forget that he was a politician, and a partisan one at that. So he became something of an apologist for Obama, intimating that having a Democratic president will eventually help overturn the onerous bill, or at least its most onerous provisions.

"Barack Obama believes in the Constitution," said Feingold. "He's a constitutional scholar. I believe that he will have a better chance to look at these powers that have been given to the executive branch, and even though he'd be running the executive branch, I think he will understand and take the lead in fixing some of the worst provisions."

It's that kind of "damage control" that is indicative of what to expect in the way of Obama's own "immunity" to justifiable criticism.

A USA Today/Gallup poll just released indicates that 25% of voters are undecided or may change their minds at some point during this process, which is an unusually high number. The poll also reveals that in those states which are known as "swing states" in the latest terminology, which in this case means that they were decided by six points or less in the 2004 election (I remember learning in school that the seven 'swing' states were those that, together, were big enough to 'swing' any election, regardless of the year), Obama was ahead of McCain by a count of 51%-39%. That is a substantial margin right now.

And the "change" candidate has a decided edge among those who are most enthusiastic about their choice; that is, those who are very happy about their candidate and do not like the opponent. In that category, which USA Today is calling the "True Believers" and which compiled 30% of their sampling, Obama had a 65%-33% advantage. Conversely, the voters who were least enthusiastic, the "Skeptical & Downbeat" group (12% of those surveyed), McCain had an edge of 35%-24% (the rest don't care or don't know, naturally).

And in the "Decided But Dissatisfied" grouping, which constituted 16% of the survey and which is compiled of people who are most concerned about protecting the nation from terrorism, McCain has a very big lead (62%-38%). It would seem clear that he has to convince more people that war is more important than the economy, and to try and get the public more emotionally involved in the war issue, for which they are starting to develop a numbness. Expect more and more of a connection between the terms "Iran" and "national security" in the near future.

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(Charles Jay is the 2008 presidential nominee of both the Boston Tea Party and the Personal Choice Party. He says he will place odds on himself at the appropriate time. He is currently a contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)