CBS News may preliminarily call a winner in the presidential election as early as 8 p.m. East Coast, before polls there close, if Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain clear the minimum threshold of electoral votes, the New York Times says. The danger of relying on exit poll data and early returns was demonstrated when early data indicated John Kerry would beat George Bush in 2004, and in 2000 when the election stretched weeks after polls closed. The Times quotes CBS News SVP Paul Friedman as saying he could imagine anchor Katie Couric saying, “Given what we know about the results, or the projected results in various states, it’s beginning to look like it will be very difficult for John McCain to put together enough votes to win this election” or similar phrasing, the Times reports.
—Greg Baumann