POLITICS AND NATURE

My man Huck ran away with Iowa, according to both Fox News and CNN. It didn't take very long for Fox to call the race for Huck and soon after CNN couldn't let them be ahead for that long and called it as well. The Dems is a close race between the top three with my man Joe down low in the polling. One of the things that can be said for the electoral system in the United States, as much as candidates and pundits complain, is people have a voice and if a candidate can't pull it off in Iowa, it is unlikely they have the skills and organizational know how to pull off a national campaign.

Of course, Pat Robertson and Pat Buchanan both performed quite well in Iowa and then left the field soon after.

Quick interruption...CNN wasn't going to let Fox News beat them in projecting the Democratic winner in addition to the Republican so both networks made their predictions at the same time. This is a secondary ongoing battle for power and prestige in the media. The networks boast about who makes the first calls. This comes into play next November, especially for people on the West Coast who hear the incoming polls.

In any case, Hillary is either second or third and has the need for a win in New Hampshire. Edwards is out along with Biden, Dodd, and Big Bill Richardson, who would make a great White House team. Biden as Secretary of State, although I recently heard he'd prefer to stay in the Senate, who knows, if Obama wins over the long haul, he'll need someone of Biden's stature as VP. Anyway, Richardson would be fantastic as a energy secretary and Chris Dodd has experience in a number of domestic arenas. Who knows? Dennis Kucinich might make a good janitor or he can park cars for visiting dignitaries. He's well qualified for such a position.

Romney spent truckloads of cash in Iowa. He emphasizes his experience and his life in business but voters seem to agree he seems like a sleezy vaccum salesman. He was far behind the Southern jovial bass playing preacher with 25% to Huck's 34%. Still he came in second, but his supporters must be feeling a twinge of remorse over the money thrown Mitt's way over the past six months. His last minute negativity could have been a death knell for the man from Mass. The media will spend a great deal of time poring over the results for days until our pavlovian instincts attract all efforts at New Hampshire.

Every pundit I have watched except for David Gergen established Hillary's loss as a gigantic blow to her campaign abilities and it elevates the importance of New Hampshire. Bill Kristol says he thinks Obama has a great chance to get the nomination. I rarely agree with anything he says but he is the one getting paid to analyze the race while I'm struggling to keep this journal alive. Gergen pointed out Hillary's national ability and organizational skills and said nobody should count her out at this point and I often agree with David Gergen.

Barack certainly has momentum now and he's proved he's a viable candidate on a national level. He's motivating the youngsters and he's keeping hope alive. He's just about the best speaker the nation has seen running for president in twelve years although he needs to work on his debating skills, which is surprising for a Harvard trained legal scholar.

One thing is for sure, Romney will hit hard in New Hampshire and for the rest of the time he is in the race. His campaign managers have shown they are not queasy about using hard tactics and if torture was available, it would be used. Meanwhile, Rudy sat this one out, McCain is looking to New Hampshire, and Fred Thompson hopes to make it all the way to South Carolina. Many hope he simply goes back home to Hollywood to spout off about family values with his second, much younger wife.

Bill Clinton was the comeback kid and wisdom advises not to count her out of anything. We will know who the nominees will be after my birthday, February 5, which popular verbage now calls super duper Tuesday, when many states vote. This is not over by a long shot. Bill Clinton never gave up and neither will his wife. Romney will re-invent himself again as he's been doing all along. Rudy plans to wait until Florida and then come out swinging.

There is a long road ahead and citizens will be screaming for it to stop before it's all over. The first hurdle is over and the people of Iowa have spoken. The race is now between Clinton and Obama.

The Grand Old Party is even more of a fun fight to watch. Huck's in, Romney is pissed and could turn into a poor and cheap replica of Dick Nixon if he's not careful. Hunter is out, Thompson goes back to TV, and Ron Paul fights McCain in New Hampshire and goes on to lead the Libertarian Party if he wants to make any sort of difference.

Edwards lived in Iowa for who knows how long and replicated his experience from four years ago by coming in second and he thinks he's going on to win the nomination. I liked John four years ago and I believe he's used his time in the spotlight for good work and he's right about many things. This nation is too often casual about the poorest of our people and we need to start caring about them. Edwards gave a victory speech after a loss of epic proportion for him.

Hillary sounded presidential even in defeat. Her speech was a call to Democrats to stay focused and positive. We'll see how this will unfold over time. If Barack wins New Hampshire, she may go negative and the Clinton's can hit hard. Yet she's still speaking as if she is the heir apparent. She stepped right into the role of candidate with the knowledge she is still the one to beat and she knows there is a long way to go. She realizes this is one small step in the process and she thanked the Iowans for starting off her campaign. The pundits say she's down but she shows she's not out by any means.

It looked to me like Mitt and Huck failed to coordinate their times speaking so the man from Mass was drowned out on both CNN and Fox. Even C-Span showed Huck while Mitt talked to no one but those in the room. (I could be wrong but I thought CNN was showing Romney getting up to speak while the Arkansas preacher started talking, however, I haven't heard anything since mentioning Romney speaking on Fox, C-Span, or CNN, so I very well may be wrong).

Huck spoke of a new day in American politics. One based on kindness and sincerity instead of ruthlessly placed attack ads. Huck gave a courageous and kind speech. He said if this was a marathon, he would have only run 1/2 by now. I'd hate to be the one to point out that he just passed the first aid station if he were running a marathon. There's a long way to go.

Obama won with 38 percent of the caucus vote. I am from Chicago and have heard tell from family and friends about the rock star status of Barack Obama which has grown throughout the state. Anyone who watched him speak knows why he has gained this status. I first heard Barack talk when he stood in front of the Democratic convention in 2004 and held me in awe while I listened for the first time to a young Senator talking of the heart and the soul and the history of the Democratic Party. He's thoughtful and pragmatic and hopefully won't cheat on his wife like Gary Heart and Bill Clinton before him. He is considered too ill experienced for the presidency but so was John F. Kennedy.

He talks of hope a lot. He may have the ability to refocus the strengths of a nation unlike any other leader. He may be able to pull people together and to work on serious issues thoughtfully. He may be able to stitch together some of the hardest wounds of racial divide still festering in this country. A great speaker goes a long way because at best, they are able to invigorate listeners and motivate people, including the media pundits who advance the interests of their own beliefs. There is a big fight ahead and it will be fun.

Obama's crowd in the heartland was unreal. From my couch in Arizona it was easy to feel the power and the excitement this man generates among his supporters. He has the chance to take this thing by the horns and move not only the Democratic Party but the nation forward. This is not to say Hillary is lost but she has a hurdle it was hard to see coming.

There has been a lot of talk among pundits over the focus on Hillary and Obama because a woman and a black man running viable campaigns is unheard of. Watching either of them over the past months and years one has to realize this is because they are two incredibly intelligent, thoughtful candidates who have worked hard to get where they are. It is hard to believe anyone hearing the two speeches would not come away believing in Barack's ability as a leader. The road is long and hard, many bumps lay ahead.