The presidential race is tightening, that’s been the dialogue over the past week or so, but is it true? According to Pew Research, not at all. The latest poll has to be quite the barbiturate to the hopes of the McCain campaign that has been touting some recent polls as evidence that the race may be breaking Senator McCain’s way. Those polls did show a very slight movement, but so insignificant as to not statistically show anything. The Pew poll shows a very statistically significant movement, and not in the way McCain’s lobbyist pundits were hoping for.

The October 16 through 19 poll was released today, polling over 2,500 registered voters. The results are stunning, so please make sure that you are sitting. Ready? Senator Obama now leads Senator McCain by 14 percentage points, 52 percent to 38 percent. You read that right, the Pew Research poll, one of the most extensive and most trusted polls in the business shows a lead of 14 percent.

The poll is more in depth than most, also delving into the perceptions of individuals on subjects such as the the way the campaigns have been run, who they trust more with individual issues, and gives a full demographic and psychographic profiles of those that they polled. It is certainly one of the more interesting reports to read if you are into geeky stuff, like I am.

Here’s a brief breakdown:

Pew Research Poll Oct. 16-19 Your Choice for President? Senator Obama 52% Senator McCain 38% Other/Undecided 10% Best Handle Economy? Senator Obama 53% Senator McCain 32% Best Handle Iraq? Senator Obama 48% Senator McCain 42% Other/Undecided Inspiring? Senator Obama 71% Senator McCain 37% Too Negative? Senator Obama 26% Senator McCain 56%

Two weeks out, and the race now looks to be widening. I expect Senator McCain to tone down his hateful scorn within a few days, and attempt to make nice. It won’t work. At this point, he’s burned every bridge, ticked off every Democrat and half the Republicans, and I wouldn’t expect him to be received well (if he ever really was) in the Senate chamber.