As proof, notice the strong preference among the BAyrouiste sample -- 75% for Sarkozy? Thats completely inconsistent with every other poll we've seen, which shows a plurality or a majority of Bayrou voters supporting Royal.

I also notice this was released shortly after a few stories had come out quoting non-alligned experts to the effect that Royal had won, including Bayrou himself, and the Monde story quoting PPDA hiimself that little Nico was "Decu" afterwards.

Its pure spin.

Listen, I think all the frustration and nerves and angst should be pushed towards motivating people to vote for Royal -- and emphasizing she can indeed win.

In almost every contested election, and this one appears to be no different, the margin of victory is always smaller than the number of voters who decide in the last 72 hours. They may merely opt to confirm their pre-existing tendency but they consciously make their decision in the final days. And moreover, in those final hours, the better known candidate is often at a disadvantage, because opinions of him or her are better formed.

So there is a real chance that if the impression of Royal going into the final weekend is that she can win, that she's showed she's ready, and that every vote will matter, there's at the least a motivation for every last wavering voter to vote, and to cast a real, not a blanc, vote.