Okay, I give up. I'm willing to accept victory.

You can't imagine how hard it is for a long-suffering Democrat to say that. Our genius at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is legendary. Look at Al Gore -- who in 2000 didn't even win his home state of Tennessee (if he had won Tennessee, Florida would not have mattered, and Gore would have become president). Look at Michael Dukakis who in 1988 squandered a 17-point August lead over George H. W. Bush. Look at Jimmy Carter in 1980 ... well, I won't go there.

That's why veteran Democrats like me, who remember the circular firing squad of blame after every near-miss election, never say "yes." At best, we say maybe. We're always on the defensive, ready for bad news, anticipating the fierce morning-after hangover. I've been defensive ever since this election campaign began. The thing I feared most -- that Wonder Boy Obama would steal the nomination from Her Highness Hillary Clinton and be exposed to the fearsome Republican campaign machine -- came to pass. But instead of being chewed up by the meanies of the Right, Obama has danced circles around them. I think he's going to win.

In fact, I'm already in post-campaign mode. There are compelling stories every day in the Washington Post and New York Times. I'm not even reading them. For 10 months I've spent hours every day devouring all the reports, analyses and commentaries. Now I've gone on a diet. I don't feel the daily compulsion to gorge on politics. It's like the thing is a done deal.

I know this is exactly what I am not supposed to do. A lot can happen in four days. "No time to unpanic," wrote (ungrammatically) ur-blogger Mickey Kaus on Slate.com. Obama knows it too. Every day he warns the faithful not to stop the relentless labor of soliciting votes and promising rides to the polling places -- "not for one day or one minute or one second," he says.

Still, a turning point has been reached. There's a feeling that it's all over but the shouting. "Coverage Of Election Now Lacks Suspense," noted the New York Times. "We're not saying that it's over…" says a TV anchor person. "But ..."

Obama has also shifted to a beautifully orchestrated end game. It's a blend of policy positions and the inspirational rhetoric that gave wings to his campaign so many months ago. Obama still touches on pocketbook issues, including tax cuts for the middle class and attacks on oligarchs who brought on the financial crash. But he ends with the preacher-like call-and-response that thrilled his early supporters. "All fired up!" he shouts -- and the crowd responds, "All fired up!" "Ready for change!" "Ready for change!"