In his "Political Points" column in today's New York Times, John Tierney points out that while John Kerry may be ahead in most polls, Bush is still winning at two online futures markets, the Iowa Electronic Markets and Intrade.

And, over in the business section of today's Times, Daniel Gross points out that while John Kerry may be ahead in most polls, Bush is still winning at two online futures markets ... the Iowa Electronic Markets and Intrade!

Gosh, what are the odds?

I mean, heck, if you didn't know better, you might suspect that someone had actually spoon-fed this story to two separate Times reporters -- both of whom bit. But nawww -- that would never happen, would it?

Incidentally, one of the Times reporters expresses skepticism about the power of online markets to predict elections, noting that bettors in such markets tend to be white, well off, and male, and thus unrepresentative of the general population. Guess which reporter is skeptical? Hint: It's not the one who's made his living as a professional libertarian.