Reply #11: More importantly [View All]

it shows there will be a real showdown in Iowa. it is quiet now UNTIL HRC gets her solid backing from such polling and priming of caucus delegates. of course, most media today will let that not so mysterious huge operation go on unnoticed. But it displays the ruthless hardocre planning that earned Kerry his upset in 2004. Edwards is building on his own grass roots previous success in Iowa as the runner up, beating out the Dean enthusiasts by personal campaign efforts. This time, one would hope he had learned from Kerry as well.

The big time campaign organizers will not sit back and abandon Iowa, especially with months to go for any truly dangerous slipping from HRC's highwater marks today. The nature of the caucus rewards the attendees who are best marshalled, prepared and enthused. The Clinton campaign will find those people and prime them wherever they are. This is going to be a fight because neither candidate can afford to take chances and Obama may be taking himself out of the equation for various reasons, both legitimate and regretable.
When Hillary plans to try and match personal appeals and appearances it will be on a platform well planned for with a target delegation of caucus attendees well scouted. She has merely to avoid a major gaffe or collapse and Edwards to hit the wall on overwhelming the state. So far.

As for making predictions, Edwards is no neophyte this time and time is not yet running totally against him. He is making a much broader issue and appearance hit with his own pros in place. The HRC machine is doubtless even more hardnosed than Kerry's. And both camps much look beyond Iowa quickly where it is still a struggle especially if Obama quickly again becomes a factor. It would be interesting if Obama gets into one of those bargaining for Veep positions with the crowd advising Hillary blanching at loading the ticket with "firsts" and an inexperienced Veep at that. That factor is interesting if it is not lost on Obama. Then, of course. Because if HRC's own wall has just been hit things may change quite a bit in the time remaining if such tactics start backfiring instead of being woorth the price.