A poll in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday showed that Mrs. Clinton was leading Mr. Obama 41 percent to 32 percent.  The poll had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

It is left for us to hope that Barack's union strength can win the day in this unusual hands-on caucus election where committed. well-trained troops can make the difference.  Or, as Gail Collins puts it today, confusion and historically low Nevada turnout could strangely put Barack over the top:

1. Workers on the Las Vegas Strip can vote in the casinos.  This is a boon to the powerful Culinary Workers Union, which supports Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton blew up at a television reporter over the unfairness of it all.  (The former president appears to be on a schedule of one meltdown per state.)

2. The caucuses have been conveniently scheduled to take place on the Saturday morning of a three-day weekend.

3. The number of people in the state who have ever attended a caucus before is probably smaller than the number of people in the state who make their living as Elvis impersonators.