John McCain concedes Michigan

Those 17 electoral votes in Michigan are now likely safe in the Barack Obama column, since John McCain's campaign is pulling all of its resources out of the state.

John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.

McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. Wisconsin went for Kerry in 2004, Ohio and Florida for Bush.

A McCain aide confirmed the move and chalked it up to the state's Democratic tilt and the resources Obama had put in place there.

Of course, Republican allied interest groups will still run independent expenditures against Barack Obama in Michigan, but this is a good sign for the Obama campaign.