Obama says McCain has path to victory

Barack Obama, coming off a weekend where he shattered the single month fundraising record and received the endorsement of retired Gen. Colin Powell, said Monday he expects the race for the White House to tighten. 

The Democratic presidential nominee said on NBC’s “Today Show” that there is “no doubt” that Republican rival Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) has a path to victory, despite the Illinois senator's leads in many battleground states and in national polls.

{mosads}“We think that the race will tighten, just because that’s what happens at the end of campaigns. They always have,” Obama said, adding, “And in each of these battleground states, you’ve got a lot of close races. One of the messages that I’ve had to my team is that we don’t let up. We do not let up.”

Obama noted that “every time we’ve gotten in trouble in this campaign, it’s because we started trying to play ball-control offense.”

The Democrat also discussed Powell’s endorsement and said he would love to have the former secretary of state, who served in the administrations of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, on the campaign trail.

“I would love to have him at any stop he wants to participate in,” Obama said.

Looking ahead, the Illinois senator noted that Powell would advise him as president.

“Whether he wants to take a formal role, whether there's something that's a good fit for him, I think is something that he and I would have to discuss,” Obama added.