Obama Takes Iowa

The results are in and Obama has won the Iowa caucus. And not just slightly, either. He garnered 38% of the vote. Edwards was next with 30% and Clinton finished third with 29%. I am not surprised that Obama won, but I am surprised that he did it so decisively. I expected Clinton to come in a very close second.

This can't be seen as anything other than a major disappointment for her campaign. She has made a half-hearted attempt in the last two months to dial down expectations, but for the most part she has run with an arrogant, the-nomination-is-mine-no-doubt attitude. I believe this is one of the reasons she lost Iowa. Even if you liked her as a candidate, her condescending attitude is hard to get past.

The race is certainly not over, yet, but after tonight, I have a hard time seeing Clinton getting the nomination. Edwards managed to eke ahead of Clinton tonight, but I don't think he will be able to carry his momentum much further.

On the Republican side, Huckabee also scored a decisive victory. Despite Romney's incredible spending (upwards of $100 million I have heard), he succumbed to Romney in the end. I think this comes down to three factors. One is Romney's religion. However crazy one may think Mormonism is, it is certainly not fair to hold it against Romney, but it happened. Second, Romney really came off more as a soulless robot that would say whatever he thought people wanted him to say rather than what he really believed. Look at the things he was saying as the governor of Massachusetts and then look at what he has been saying during his presidential bid. It's like night and day. Third, the evangelical right is a major force in the Republican party these days and a Southern Baptist minister is going to be a lot more appealing to them than a Mormon who used to be pro-choice and support gay rights.

There's almost no way for Romney to get the nomination now. McCain has been seeing a resurgence in the polls and his respectable (relative to time and money spent) finish in Iowa should continue to help him.

Anyway, I am very glad to see Obama win. I think he is the best candidate in the race right now and I think the best person poised to move America forward after the disastrous Bush presidency.