Rasmussen in Minnesota

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) hits 50 percent. John McCain does not look so good.

A reader wonders:

If Minnesota is not in play at all, the Pawlenty VP slot makes less sense than some of the other choices.

Could be. I cannot pretend to understand what is ailing McCain in Minnesota (ethanol, perhaps?), although polls at this stage should always be taken with a grain of salt.