CNN

Doug in New Jersey,
You'd better hurry, or you'll miss your daily briefing from Rush.

Romney an openly BUSH Jr. supporter LOST!! Says something about Bush Jr., Bush Jr. Administration and Bush Jr. policies and his standing with American public today.

Hillary / Edwards take the que from Huckabee and bash Bush Jr. for his IRAQ policy and STOP funding the war lest your vote(s) will haunt you in November.

Yes the 43rd President Bush Jr. has cause for concern:
Having cheated in two elections. First in 2000 from Al Gore who later got the Noble Peace Prize (just in case people do not keep up with the news!) through the Supreme Court then through rigging and SWIFT BOATING (it’s a verb: unfairly depicting someone) war decorated veteran John Kerry in 2004!

With all the anti-Bush Jr. rhetoric that has helped Huckabee must be a DISASTER in the making for Bush Jr. if he is to venture to work for Republican candidates in 2008 election cycle.

Go Hillary44 08! http://hillaryis44.org/ http://facts.hillaryhub.com/
For a little national election snapshot: http://uselectionatlas.org/2008.php

Iowa done a great thing last night...NH follow suit! America needs this guy!

John and Hillary are nothing more than 1st and 2nd losers.., respectively.

Go Obama! I truly hope every democrat and independent in New Hampshire shows up for the primaries and gives Obama an even bigger win! A one-two punch to Hillary, and she's down for the count! Once that happens, and South Carolina goes strongly for Obama on the 26th, a new day will begin. One of real change and real hope. One of true unity, not the faux unity W. portrayed himself to be a proponent of. He will go down in the books and the worst ever.

Obamas time is now, thank you Iowa! Go New Hampshire! Show them all!

The irony amazes me, it is quite apparent that the racists sentiments are coming from the die hard Hillary supporters (liberals?)...not all but, but there are a few crazed lunatics out there.

There are a few narrow minded individuals out there that will exclude a candidate solely based on race or sex, that is there prerogative, it is America afterall.

But, having said that, what happened in Iowa last night is a positive sign that the country is moving in a more progressive direction. Most individuals born during the 1960s and after have a far different view on racial relations than those born before...and it seems that they were out in full force last night. Whether Obama wins the nomination or not...I was overwhelmed with a sense of immense pride as an American. Thanks Iowa!

I really don't understand this whole idea that Obama cannot win a general election. Also, Iowa may not be representative of our nation demographically, but the people of Iowa take their job as the first caucus in the nation very seriously and spend much time educating themselves on the positions and ideas of each candidate. I applaud them for this dedication to the process. As for Obama, he is truly a breath of fresh air and I am happy he won, but even happier with Edwards finishing second ahead of Hillary. John Edwards is a passionate voice with many quality plans that middle class America can rally around. Edwards or Obama is definitely a plus for our country.

Obama is the candidate of change! He is the future, as evidenced by his overwhelming support among young Americans. It's not even close among young America! He is the one and we recognize this! We want change and will have it. It's time to move away from the politics of old. We can't just sit back while old America and their old ideologies destroy this great country. This country needs healing. Obama is the one! His time is now!

Amazing how many NEW residents of Iowa we had registering and caucusing for Obama last night...goes to show the rumors were true that he was bussing outsiders in to caucus in Iowa from neighboring Illinois. Like Joe Biden said at the JJ Dinner in Des Moines, "Welcome to Chicago!"

Oh and Republicans re-registered and caucused for Obama because they didn't want Clinton to win because they know they can't beat her.

Clinton has more U.S. Senators who have endorsed her (10) than all the other candidates COMBINED. She has 76 members of congress endorsing her. She doesn't just HOPE for changes – she TELLS us how she will MAKE the changes. Obama talks about change, never says what he'll do to make them happen. Clinton may have failed her health care initiative in the 90s, but at least she knows what she needs to do to make it work this time. Obama has no experience so there's nothing to talk about. Oh except the 100+ votes he's missed while being in the Senate and all those 'present' votes.

HILLARY '08

Neither Hillary nor Edwards is trustworthy.

Obama/Richardson would be good.

I had been really looking forward to the end of Bush presidency and for a democrat president to take over. I then saw the republican debates and saw how Ron Paul completely out shined not only everyone in the Republican party but also the Democratic party candidates. Not only does he have much more political experience than Obama and Hillary, he hasn't flipped flopped on issues like the rest of the candidates, and his ideas make sense. I am surprised that a person like that is not the front-runner candidate. It makes me feel that maybe democracy doesn't work because people tend to pay more attention to a candidate's looks, race, gender, etc., than the actual meat and potatoes (that are experience/track record, credibility, and what the person stands for and has stood for in the past).

I'm pleased in general with the caucus results. Although I am currently supporting Edwards–Obama very closely his mirrors his agenda–and seems to have found a way ( a la Opra) to swing female consensus in his direction.

Although I was originally considering Hillary, I have changed my views because of the 190 lbs of excess baggage and old wounds that will accompany her to the White House, namely Bill. And my instincts tell me that both Edwards and Obama are more "progressive reform" oriented in their views of the nation than Hillary.

What really scares me is Huckabee!!!
Having read again some of his agenda–particularly on his radical views on eliminating employer contributions for health insurance (with no comments or plan on who will take up the slack for the increased insurance premiums) which really concern me. I believe under his administration he will continue the "compassionate conservative" practice of hiding federal tax increases in the services, utilities, and government fees that all Americans use. The problem is these taxes are "income indexed", thus, even impoverished Americans who use their cell phone and buys gas or cigarettes–pays the same taxes/fees to the fed as the multi-millionaire.

If a GOP has to run–God please let it be McCain!!!

Like it or not, the fact is that America is looking forward to a change. America is tired of a senseless war without gain and tremendous loss. Our forefathers fought for the rights that many of our elected representitives run roughshod over today. The absolute least we can do is vote! Too many people say they are not voting because their vote won't count. It does count and does matter. The great turnout in middle America Iowa for this Caucas should be a rallying cry to the rest of OUR nation. If Iowa can do it, why not the rest? I will vote for the candidate who best represents my interests, and the future considerations of my children. I will not vote for a man, or woman just because they say "I am a Christian." Born again or whatever. I was born once and I will die once.

Hello,
I have had the opportunity to watch and pay close attention to the presidential race this past few months. More importantly, I have had time to give the issues some critical thought and here are my thoughts:
Regarding Hillary; I am in favor of a strong and independent woman being the President of the United States, however, I don't think she is either. I am concerned about what message the fact that her husband cheated on her several times and she stayed with him, would send to our young people. In addition, I am concerned that people describe her as "cold" and "frosty", these are not the words that one would use to describe a smart confident woman, but rather a mean and aloof one. With regard to her healthcare plan 1) I don't think it will work and 2) Did she not already have a chance to implement her big "Universal Coverage" plan while her husband was in office? I am pretty sure she had her chance at healthcare and she/it failed. And last, but certainly not least, who in their right mind could ever tolerate 4-8 more years of hearing about Bill and his antics. Even if he was arguably a good president and even if she was the perfect presidential candidate (which I don't think she is), still nobody could stand to deal with all the continuous talk and attention and reports about Bill.
Regarding John Edwards; his healthcare plan cannot work. Small businesses and even larger businesses are struggling to remain afloat and can barely pay
for healthcare benefits for employees as it is. They can definitely not pay more and certainly to force them to do so would have detramental effects on our economy.
Regarding Barack; I find him to be fresh and strong and real. His messages and ways of thinking are new and cutting edge. He is a role model to many people. US is increasingly becomming more involved with foreign trade and in this global economy, his ethnicity is a plus. I am cheering for him!
Regarding Huckabee, I would say that while he seems "nice", his real message is one of extremism and that is really never good.

I am going over to Hillary Clinton's web site to donate some more money to her campaign. I have never given money to a political candidate before, but this will make the third or fourth time I have contributed to Ms. Clinton. I think she is the most viable candidate of the three top finishers tonight to help the Dems win the White House.

Yes, we do need CHANGE and I think this smart, tough, politically savvy woman is the person who can bring that about. She keeps her composure under attack and is a tough negotiator, all the while with a smile on her face and a machete in her skirts! She will get the U S economy back on track, and restore respect for the U S abroad. She is pro-environment. She will work to end this war and bring our troops home. She will work to bring solidarity to the Dems and the GOP and get people working together to make life better for all of us. Her domestic agenda to improve education, provide universal health care, protect /respect the rights of all are just a few of the social issues for which Ms. Clinton has earned my respect.

We are fortunate to have so many great candidates running for the Democratic nomination. I was saddened to see that Biden and Dodd were leaving the race because I think they have many fine qualities and have given much to the American people in their service in the Senate. (and Dodd in the House '75-'81). We need them in the Senate with both of them having vast experience and a long history in these important jobs. With Dodd's experience and expertise as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and Biden's as Chairman of the Foreign Relations they have both contributed immeasurably to make life better for all of us.

I like John Edwards and really wish he had gotten the nomination in 2004. I think he was the best Democratic candidate then and could have gotten Bush out of the White House. I hope he will eventually join the Clinton campaign and run as her VP. What a great ticket that would be. The only thing better would be Gore, but he has said he is not interested in the #2 job again. There have been lots of comments on this board tonight both positive and negative. I respect others rights to state their opinion and hope when all the campaigning is done the best woman wins! GO HILLARY GO! In the White House we need a gentle woman, speaking softly (negotiating) laughing deeply(charming), standing firm, forging alliances, and showing the rest of the world there is once again an articulate, intelligent and tough leader in charge of the free world!

All of the presidential candidates have no experience in foreign policy. No hands-on, no- on-the-job training knowledge to deal with the fact that the world is running out of oil and 60% of our imported oil comes from the Middle East. The fact that we are in Iraq and the Middle East to secure our supply of oil, to keep the wheels of our capitalistic industry turning. Wake-up Americans, and elect our next president who has lived in the Middle East for at least ten plus years, a candidate with experience and knowledge from the world to govern the world. Who is this person? Where do we find him? Definitely not the present candidates. The American people should manage their own destiny by advertising on the web and newspapers for the candidate with 10 – 25 years of experience in the Middle East. Otherwise, the United States is pursuing the same destiny as the illiterate failed Roman Empire, destruction from within. Do we repeat the history of failed Empires?

linda, i'm glad you're such an expert on united states politics. your post could have been the most condescending thing i've read in a long time. you've basically, with one blog posting, been able to disrespect every democrat in the united states. nice job. instead of throwing out comments about how we are "blowing it" in the US, maybe you should focus your attention on canadian politics, or simply come live here, in which case your opinion of US politics would actually be respected. thats wonderful that the clintons are "loved around the world" but we are voting for the president of the united states, not canada. actually maybe I should take that back since you are basically our 51st state. you're welcome for our being your nations defense for the last 100 years or so.

BobSimmons January 3, 2008 10:23 pm ET

BARACK OBAMA CANNOT WIN:

I can almost absolutely guarantee that if Barack Obama gets the nomination, it will mean FOUR MORE years of republicans in office.

Barack Obama is black. America WILL NOT vote a black man into the presidency. Do you really think that the undecided voters in the swing states like Ohio, Missouri, and FLORIDA are going to vote for the BLACK GUY over the WHITE GUY?? Of COURSE they're not.

If you vote for Obama, you're saying you want four more years of republicans in orifice.

Bob what a DISGUSTING thing to say. But sadly this may be true. Some people will vote for Barack Obama beacuse he is actually black and smart and an inspirational speaker (you have to agree that speech last night was fantastic)
But great inspirational speeches aside most Americans will not vote for him and he will loose the general election because his name is BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA. Although most intelligent people like the leftwing democrats know that he is not a muslim, and that he is a christian, most of the country doesn't even know his full name is Barack Hussein Obama and this is what the republican smear machine will use to beat him. If Barack Hussein gets the nomination it will be too late to stop the Republicans.
Note to the media IOWA is not all of America. So hold off on writing the election the way you want it. All americans need to have a say in this.

We have Europeans and Canadians jumping in here in support of Hillary Clinton, and chiding us Americans for not supporting her. Of course, if she gets elected, these will be the same foreigners who will come back and blame us personally for invading Iran (which she will do).

Foreigners – we know that she shares her last name with her husband, and that he was popular internationally, but believe me, she ISN'T her husband. Look at her previous statements in regard to Iraq and Iran, and then understand why people like I will never support her.

People who think the answer is electing a Democrat just because he/she is a Democrat or a Republican just because he/she is a Republican is just plain not credible. We have the list of Republicans who have erred, should you need reminders of Torricelli or Rostankowski? How about Ms. Clinton and her brothers. She never found files and they were arrested for influence peddling. Neither party owns the high road. What exactly is Hillary's experience? How does hers exceed others? Edwards with a 28,000 sq. foot home and $400 haircuts champions the little guy??? How? Does he know any? Huckabee? Please he has won his one primary. He joins Thompson as an empty suit .

"I will go with experience, MY CHOICE IS CLINTON!"

What experience? Being Bill Clinton's wife? Is being Bill Clinton's spouse considered experience?

Apparently Bill Clinton didn't value the "experience" that he gained while being in that relationship as much as she did, considering the amount of time that he spent being engaged in "extra-curricular activities" with other women.

But anyway, as far as "real" experience goes (ie. actually holding an elected office), Obama is right on par with her, and he gets my vote, as he doesn't waffle on the Iran issue (she's just itching for the opportunity to invade it on behalf of her "backers"), and he isn't a huge flip-flopper on healthcare and Iraq!

Obama '08!

I watched cnn's coverage of the Iowa elections last night.I was very dissappoimted in the results. I thought by now the democrats would be smart enough to vote for the candicate who could win the election and white house once again. WRONG! How they continually fall for the trap that is laid out for them. Come on people i am a Canadian , and we are astonished every time you blow it.Clinton is double digits over anyone in the national forever so far, and you fall for all this crap about her. What baggage has she that republicans have saddled her with in their smears and you gullable people drink it up. When other people get 20 to 40 comments on the blog 's and clinton gets 632 etc. and they are mean spirited and full of lies you automatically thing they are true. This is the republican and democrats trying to smear her for their own gain. Obamba may be a nice man but he will not win only clinton can. what is wrong with a clinton in the white house besides the years of the republicans trying to smear and tear them down they brought prosperity, surpluses, people hadc jobs, they were and still are loved around the world and the social security was in a lock box but bush opened that.We would gladly have clinton as a leader here in our country if we could.Bennett could hardly stop grinning last night as obamba won, when fox news gives the nod to him you know you are in trouble. those people who are republicans who voted for obamba are doing exactly what they did for nader to cut the vote from the one who can win.here we go again you fall for it hillary is getting so attack because she is the threat.This election affects all countries because if obama wins the republicans win and that is what has destroyed the credibility around the world and has been so corrupt please wake up and get serious about your country.

Just for fun, if Obama wins the nomination he should pick Robert Byrd as his VP. You know, just to show that the lib policies act as if they are to support someone like Obama but in reality are the dream of people who have a past like Byrd's.

Now that Hillary came in a shocking third, don't count her out! Look for Hillary to come back with blistering negative attacks against Obama, invoking the race card to whip up ethnic sentiments among white Democrats across America not to vote for a black man to go for the White House! And the funny thing is, she just might convince white Americans!

Look, when she was First Lady and tried to launch her infamous National Health Plan, she wa derided by Congressional Democrats who saw her actions as encroaching on their turf. In response, she told her NHP volunteers that if Congressional democrats did not support her plan, she would demonize them!

This woman is worse than we really know! Don Imus calls her Satan, and not for jovial reasons. Between now and Super Tuesday, look for nastiness to envelope her campaign as she locks horn with Obama and John Edwards, but more particularly Obama.

"I am sure that if he is the nominee, the Repubs will make race or his name a huge part of their dirty campaign."

I think you have a typo here, change Repubs to Demoncrats and your statement would be factual, then again you could be a democrat, if so then being factual is the last thing you would want to be.

BTW, love that the libs here are showing their closed-minded hate and anger which is why they have made this nation so divided while conservative Americans have been trying to unite us. There is a reason no lib will honestly say that they want to win the war on terror, Bin Laden is not their enemy, their fellow Americans who don't have Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto as their bible who they label as "red necks" are.

Conservatives say well I don't agree with this guy, while the lib says I hate him, since most Americans are nice people who are not defined by their hate, if they have all the facts we will never see another Demoncrat win office again. This would be a victory for every American who does actually work and tries to live a positive, productive, compassionate life.

Charles, Fremont

How about voting for Edwards instead of not voting?

I BELIEVE EVERYONE ON THIS POST HAS ALREADY MADE UP THEIR MINDS WHO THEY ARE GOING TO VOTE FOR....SO WHY EVEN POST YOUR OPINION.

WE ALL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHO WINS.

i have give money to the Dem.party but if obama is who is on the ticket in Nov. no more..I WILL NOT VOTE FOR HIM .

I am a proud Liberal and a proud Edwards supporter! So everyone out there that thinks that Iowa is full of Evangelical Christians you are terribly wrong. Come visit Iowa and find out what it's like to be in a state where people are actually kind, polite and educated.

I am proud to be an Iowan and I am proud to be an American. Last night was an awesome experience getting to take part in the Democratic Process. Don't discount the people of Iowa. Not everyone in Iowa lives on a farm and to be that narrow-minded in pathetic. People in Iowa have something that you can't find almost anywhere else, a huge HEART. We care about our neighbors, we care about our children, we care about our future!

Daphne from Europe – keep your European nose out of our business. We'll decide who we want or in the case of Hillary, who we don't!

I have seen terrible comments, some biggoted, yet CNN holds comments to be viewed before posting. What happened to freedom of speech? A constituntional right. I find the process as sensorship.

The problem Hillary faced in Iowa is the same she will face across the country. She is polarizing. She has a lot of folks that support her as first choice, but not many that support her as their second choice. Many that picked Biden, Richardson or Dodd as their first choice, move on to Obama or Edwards when their candidates didn't have enough support. I would be surprised if many Dodd/Biden supporters now move to Hillary and believe that for the most part they will now fall in line behind Edwards or Obama.

Hillary is the Republican's best hope at keeping the White House for 4 more years. Which is typical for her, after all, she's experience at dodging them, not beating them..

Thanks Chris Loveall! A job well done on list of previous Iowa Caucus winners vs. Actual Party Nominees. A fellow political junkie!

ABC – Anybody But Clinton

The only thing that HRC has ever done is get elected by a state that she had never lived in base solely on her husband's popularity.

I do not think it is black or woman. I never put much stock in Iowa. There have been many who lost Iowa and went on to the presidency. I like Obama, but still think "Change" is a word. I think "Experience brings Change:. I am a Democrat and will stand by and support the person who wins our party's nomination, but I hope it will be Senator Clinton. I would have advised her to campaign everywhere but Iowa. The state has too much power and one state is in your face for months. I am glad it's over.
New Hampshire is very different. They vote with heads not hearts and I think the outcome will be very different.
As for John Edwards, I see him as a mean spirited person, who because he couldn't raise the money Clinton and Obama raised talked negitively about both. Perhaps tthe money for those 425.00 haircutscould have been better spent. I am looking forward to the come back kid. Bill Clinton has a lot of admirer's in NH and that will resinate with voters who are more comfortable with the know, not the unknow.

Everyone on this blog that says we need to careful about Obama because of racial devides in this country, Are the reason we need to support OBAMA simply because these are the people who are racist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We won't let people like you who are simple and shallow tell us what we can and cannot do.

OBAMA 08,12

Obama is, like George W. Bush, an empty suit. He's all arrogance and no substance. I have voted in every single election since I have been eligble. I have always voted for the democratic candidate. If Obama wins the nomination, I will either vote Republican or sit this one out.

No voting machines to rig in a caucus...

so glad how the Dem side has played out. just as I hoped. Clinton= 3rd place and 3rd rate. trying to run on experience when you are just so polarizing is not going to cut it. people are just tired of 20 years of Bush/Clinton rule. these families have destroyed this country so we need someone else to get it back on track. and Huckabee on the GOP side is not the answer.

Hillary Clinton has 169 delegates to Barack's 66 so far. These totals include super-delegates who have already said who they're voting for. Hillary's currently leading in Iowa, although that could change. But she holds double-digit leads, even sometimes up to 50%- support in super-Tuesday states. Obama may have won the battle, but he's going to lose the war.

If Obama doesn't win the nomination, there still has been some change. Iowa voters put an African-American on top for the first time. Since I don't live there in Iowa, I can only presume that the "race" factor had little to do with it. The next challege is New Hampshire; can either Edwards or Clinton break the mommentum that Obama seems to have started? I can't tell yet.

Hillary is rising to the top in the race for vice-president.

The Politics of Hope will prevail.....

As in " Throw those bums out ".

Congratulations to Sen. Obama.

You are "on track" for a new job.

Now you hopefully get to clean-up the Bush/Cheney mess.

Some job.

Well, it seems people are coming around to a little more honesty this morning. A large number of democrats are concerned about the electability of Barack Obama due to his race. I think this is a valid concern. It's obvious to me that racism still permeates our society. and I'm sure that the vast majority of blacks agree with me on that. Pre-caucus polls show that older Americans vastly voted someone other than Barack Obama; these are the people who usually turn out by a large margin. But there's hope; the younger generation wanted change and seemed not to care about the color of anyone's skin.

I do no think Barack Obama can win a general election yet. The democratic party is setting itself up to fail if it nominates him. Give it another decade. Nominating John Edwards or Hillary Clinton would be a much better choice at this time. Sometimes the truth sucks, and it doesn't feel right, but it's still the truth. WE must keep our eyes on the prize. We need a democratic president in '08.

Huckabee wins? Boy the GOP shows again that it is ran by the unholy alliance of capital and religion. We know their agenda well...war, wealth accumulation, environmental neglect, racism, lies, facism, anti-constitutionalism, wedge politics...in short all that is not America and it founding principles. America can and should do better. Vote Democrat, vote Edwards!!

Obama has proven that he is electable. He certainly has more appeal across all categories than Clinton. It is time that we stop trying to appeal to a sub population and have a President that serves all of the people. Republicans, Democrats and Independents have common desires and values. Why must we continue to attack people based upon the differences. When I see Obama – I don't see the color of his skin, I see a man with integrity. A man I would be proud to be our President. I haven't felt that way in a long time.

Folks, let's all step back, take a deep breath and put this in perspective. This is a caucus not a primary, the results are meaningless in so far as delegates are concerned and what real voters will actually do. Iowa has never been a litmus test of what the electorate wants. It gives momentum for sure, but the media has already santified Obama so he's already getting all of the positive media spin he needs. The media is playing us to keep this interesting. The relentless Hillary bashing is as dreadful as the sanctification of Obama (let's get real he's as slick a politician as the rest of the them. You don't do well in Chicago politics by being a breath of fresh air and innocence). If he becomes the Democratic nominee (and that's a big if) the scrutiny wiill begin in earnest and the results of this this straw poll will become meaningless.

From reading these comments it seems to me that the first priority of the Clinton camp is to stop a Republican from taking the Presidency again (and of course crowning Her Ladyship), whereas Obama supporters are looking for a new direction for America.

Given the vast numbers of Independent voters out there, the partisan strategy of "Hillary being the only candidate able to beat the Republicans" can only work so far. We are talking about the role of Commander in Chief after all. And the fear tactic of a vote for Obama being a vote for eight more years of Republicans is no different from the 9/11 scare tactics some Democrats have accused a number of Republicans of employing.

Clearly Obama talks of the future and can reach across party lines and races. There are several comments here from Republicans saying they could or would vote for Obama. They can't all be Karl Rove spinning a Machiavellian web of misinformation and deceit. Hillary on the other hand prioritises her sex, is highly partisan, and is focussed on the past – even having that throwback from the nineties Madeline Albright displayed prominently on the stage.

Given the demographics, Obama has scored a massive win in Iowa. It could be as soon as next Tuesday night that we know the name of the next President of the United States if the momentum carries him to a win in New Hampshire.

I find it funny that most of the anti-Obama opinions here contain either a ridiculously ignorant comment or a misspelling, and many of them then try to sound "intelligent" when they comment on how "intelligent" Hillary is. Let me ask all the Clinton supporters something: Tell me where she'd be and what she'd be doing right now if she wasn't the wife of Bill Clinton? I prefer to vote for the person that inspires me, not by their words, although Obama is a wonderful speaker and motivator, but inspires me by their choices, hard work, and obstacles overcome in their life. Why don't all of you pro-Hillary, anti-Obama folks do some research on Obama's life path to the White House versus Hillary's. One had it handed to them, one earned it.

I don't understand your note. What do you mean by moderation.

I foress the Democrats becoming more fractious with every primary. The process of negative campaigning will accelerate as Obama and Edwards continue to impugn Hillary's inconsistencies and perceived no electability. The way I see it, the party should beckon Al Gore to come forward and lead the party. The reality is that none of the 3 contenders, given the dissonance in the ranks, can beat the Republican candidate (Romney, Giulani or McCain), while Gore can win in a cake walk.

What makes you think Obama has no chance to win against the Republican? He doesn't win every heart, but he has a very broad appeal, and Iowa demonstrated it. When I see him, I don't even see him black, I see him as a decent person. I wish the media would stop refer him as black because it will perpetuate the race issue. I mean, I don't think about it until the media mention it. As far as I see, the majority of 'whites' have gotten over the 'race' issue, as demonstrated in Iowa. Will 'blacks' follow suite remains to be see – as I understand, South Carolina is predominantly 'black'.

Just as people say he cannot win Clinton – he demonstrated it in Iowa.
Just as people say he cannot win white votes – he demonstrated it in Iowa.

They didn't vote for a 'black' candidate. They vote for the person they believe can best bring the country together, because that's his message – end the divisivenes.

Of course, Iowa is just one state, and he has to demonstrate it in the remaining states.

Hey "Daphne from Europe", you, as a European ,should be pleased that FDR was not like any of the current Democrat candidates. Once the US entered the war, FDR was determined to liberate Europe. I am not so sure the current crop of candidates would be such a leader. Perhaps if you were "Daphne from Iraq" your opinion in US affairs would matter more....then, would you be so critical of Bush for deposing Saddam? I wonder.

From what I recall, Hillary's only experience in the white house was standing aside as the angry wife of her philandering husband- what policy decisions was she making?

I like to think of the Iowa vote as being 2/3s voted AGAINST Hillary. It's not a name recognition thing for Hillary, everyone knows her. Perhaps that's her problem.

Ron Paul served in the military as did John McCain.

None of the Dem front runners have. Being a rookie Senator doesn't cut it. Being a former first housewife doesn't cut it. Being an ambulance chaser certainly doesn't cut it.

While it's not a "criteria" on paper for a candidate to have prior military service don't think for a second that it doesn't matter to a lot of military veterans that vote. Don't believe me? Go research which candidate has the biggest support of the military.

I am surprised that people dont see Barack Obama for the phony that he is . Why anybody want to vote for him is beyond me. Go Hillary because you are our only hope of taking back the white house.Listen up you Democrats,the press is greatly biased against the Clintons and will do anything to derail Hillary.Please annoy the press by supporting Hillary.The press are like vultures circling especially that big mouth Chris Mathews always foaming in the mouth about Hillary.Obama cannot win in november and we Democrats will be shooting ourselves in the foot if we nominate him.I know that he looks good and sound good but believe me, there is nothing there.

For those who think AMERICANS cannot vote across race, gender and party lines, wake up and smell the coffee...

Okay Okay, his speech is emotional and filled with energy, but just how is he going to magically unite us?

And who's asking to be united anyway? I'm not. I want an immediate end to the wars, no more policing the world, get the troops out of Germany and Japan and elsewhere, Universal Healthcare, no more secret torture prisons, invalidate the Patriot Act, put very easy to understand limitations on when you can have an abortion, let gays at least have civil unions, completely get rid of the Dept. of Homeland Security.

As you can see, I'm left on some things, more right on others, libertarian on others. I don't want some phoney idea of being united.

Beware of all this "United" "Change" "Hope" talk; what they really mean is, "Unite you behind MY idea, Change you to MY way of thinking, Hope you agree with ME".

Obama's a really great public speaker. That's it. He doesn't ever give any reasons as to how he'll unite people who are on complete opposite sides of the major issues of the day.

im a rep and i would vote for edwards no way would i vote for obama

Huckabee is an opportunist. He smelled the evangelicals coming out to caucus in Iowa and he won solely on the basis of his title as a Baptist minister. New Hampshire will be different.

Fellow Obama backers, don't worry about the anti-Obama bitter loser posters on here. Just bask in the glow and laugh at them. They got served last night. SCOREBOARD! HAHAHAHAHA

Obama '08!

Ok, well Iowa has spoken. For thoses of you who did not watch last night, Obama won by a landslide, in a white state that usually votes red, so don't tell me America is not ready. Did any of you listen to his victory speech....WOW...I haven't heard a speech like that in a long time. I am white and I am for Obama.

OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Military records? Is anyone asking about Hillary's military service? John Edwards' military service? How about Mitt Romney's military service? Nope – doesn't seem that military service is a criteria for being a President.

Oh come on, you yankees!

Hillary is the best candidate. She deserves to win. Give the world a good president. After eight years with Bush we deserve it.

GO HILLARY! GO!

Edwards needs to reel in his wife. Anyone else noticed how she grabbed the microphone and took over? Everyone else's spouse stood by their partner, but she wants to be co-President. She is a liability to him. In America (up to this point) we have elected a President – not a couple to the job.

As a conservertive here in CT, regishtered Indipendent, & I like Mitt. I am & will Vote for Obama in November. Now is the time for change, that & I believe a better Canidate will come along in 2012, if he does not liveup to expectations

Wow. I can't believe some of the post I'm reading here!!!! Bill Schnieder? Liberal? Holy cow!!! Framing the election in Black VS white ? I was at the caucus. The Obama people where loyal and not to be swayed. I saw one black person in thier group so you can throw that red herring out the window.
As for the media frenzy that Hillary's third place finish is somehow a disaster, Edwards had his minnions assembled that he used 4 years ago so no biggie there and Super Tuesday is a whole different breed of cat. It requires people only to stop by and vote sometime in the day. It isn't 3 or 4 hours out of thier lives on a cold Thursday night.
In conclusion i would say we have an excellent group of candidates any one of whom would make a fine president and if you didn't get to meet them and talk face to face it is because you didn't take the time to do so. Let the media have thier fun. The people of Iowa take this business seriously and money and media spin is not the determining factor in the choices they make.

It seems that people here are still clinging to the notion that Obama cannot win the election because he is black; too many white people would never vote for a black man.
This is very strange thing to say, considering that a black man just won an election in one of the whitest states in the country.
Apparently all of us honkeys outside of the corn belt are a bunch of closet racists. If that is what you really think, a few questions for you:
1a) Are you white and registered to vote?
1b) If so, would you never vote for a black candidate for President, regardless of his policies, just because he is black?
2a) Do you know any other whites who are registered to vote?
2b) Will any of them, as best as you know, never vote for a black man for President, regardless of their policies, just because he is black?
2c) And of these racist voters whom you apparently know, is there really much of a chance that any of them would be voting for any of the Democrats in the first place?
Get a grip people. We still have some work to do in race relations, but it really ain't that bad.

The smell of change is in the air. Even from being stationed here in Iraq. I continue to serve proudly, but alot of us over here are like many people back home, we need a breath of fresh air. Take a step back, a deep breath and enjoy history. It's high time we stopped waiting for CNN and FOX to guide us, and listened for ourselves.

I will go with experience, MY CHOICE IS CLINTON!

You are incorrect Margert from California! Look at the 1992 – 2004 election and the signifcant turnout of the 18 -24 year olds.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2004-11-08-under30_x.htm

That's just an opinion not a fact. Wrong facts you claim like many others have us stuck in Iraq for a third time when we should be hunting Bin Laden.
Voters, we beg you to, "wake up and smell the coffee"

Margaret January 3, 2008 10:14 pm ET

Margaret
California

Margaret..is that you?? Ummm....the 18 to 24 year olds beat the pants off HIllary tonight......Catch the wave....you haven't seen anything yet!!!

GoBama Go!!

Lourdes January 3, 2008 10:01 pm ET

Democrats are doomed. They are framing Obama's victory in a black/white paradigm that has, in the past, only served to evoke ethnic loyalty

This comment is the HEIGHT of ignorance!!! Lourdes....Obama has NEVER made his race, or the race of anyone else for that matter, an issue!! I encourage you to STAY HOME when we elect the next president of the United States....

GOBama Go!!!

Thanks Kylie...this comment of yours is very mature:

"We have to stop going to that stupid tiny little, predominantly white state…full of Evangelical Christians that hate Evolutions. "

This resident of that "stupid tiny little predominantly white state" is appalled that someone would write such a comment on what is supposed to be an intelligent political message board.

I'm proud of the Iowans who came out in record numbers...and everyone has their own right to caucus for who they believe in...because, in the words of John Mellencamp "Aint That America?"

Represent your own state...and support your candidate. Quit putting us down here in Iowa because we are first. We all have a right to vote and a right to support who we believe in...do so and respect the opinions of others as well.

If you'll excuse me I better go now...I have to make sure this MidWest wind hasn't blown over the Edwards sign in my yard....and while I'm at it this middle-classed corn fed Iowa Catholic girl that doesn't hate Evolutions as you stated has to thank the farmer next door for the food on the table and the ethanol in the gas tank. Maybe you should too.
Good Job Tonight Iowa!

The Bush/Clinton era is finally over. I'm ready for a new direction.

I just want to ask – all these people who say that Barak Obama is not electable because he is black – are all these people white themselves? And if they are, are they projecting their own racism on to "others"? I am originally from India and do not consider myself white and it never occured to me that Obama was unelectable due to his skin color. Why did hundreds of white people vote for Obama today? And if these white people from Iowa can support a black candidate over an Edwards, why can't other Americans do the same?

Also, do Hillary supporters really think that people who would not vote democrat if Obama was a candidate would otherwise do so if Hillary was a candidate? Essentially, racists would become democrat voters with Hillary as a candidate? How ludicrous an assertion is that? If electability is defined by race and gender, Edwards is the legit choice. Not Hillary!

Debra;
the reason CNN discussed how Bill felt (while not being concerned with any of the other candidates' spouses) may be linked to the fact that he used to be the President of the US – and also "lost" Iowa back then in '91. None of the other spouses have that experience. Why is it that some people always have to see sexism or racism or whatever-ism behind everything??

I am french and very interested in american politics.
Obama's victory is defenitely a boost in his campain but the race is still open
and there is still a lot do.
a lot of people say "I like him", "I am not racist but america won't vote for a black candidate"
Well...what about yourself?
If all the people who say that would vote for him , wouldn't he have move chances?

Race should NOT be a factor and if you think I am right, well...forget about race and focus on your candidate program

And remember: America can be a really surprising country so we never know,
"Never Say Never"

I'm a Hillary supporter, and I don't think that the Iowa loss is important. It was barely a loss anyway. The bigger deal here is the record turnout of new people, that Obama seems to mostly be responsible for (I believe the stats showed staggering numbers of young newbies for Obama.) I have to say, he has me rethinking things. I thought that he was unelectable (I regret) because he's black. But if he can win in white Iowa, and at the same time bring a huge wave of new voters with him, I now think he will be formidable. If he overtakes Hillary, I sure hope he stays with it. We need a democrat. Please democrats, rally behind the candidate, whoever it is.

guys, ultimately, whoever comes as your president, will be a dumb guy, not knowing the foreign affairs, creating a mess in countries like IRaq, afghanistan, Terroristan (Pakistan) etc,
instead you should have two differents guys, a president and a prime minister, one to look after internal politics and the other foreign relations,

WOW and GOOD JOB to the CNN CREW

Thompson & McCain are tied
273 votes different = 0.89% of their diff
= 0.23% of total votes

CNN & analysts call this a tie

Edwards & Clinton – Clinton looses and is definitely THIRD place
7 votes different = 1% of their diff
= 0.28% of total votes

CNN & ALL analysts call this third place

I think these are equal differences so is there a bit of "help" from your media in steering the election I dare CNN to explain their "interpretation" publicly

I am going over to Hillary Clinton's web site to donate some more money to her campaign. I have never given money to a political candidate before, but this will make the third or fourth time I have contributed to Ms. Clinton. I think she is the most viable candidate of the three top finishers tonight to help the Dems win the White House.

Yes, we do need CHANGE and I think this smart, tough, politically savvy woman is the person who can bring that about. She keeps her composure under attack and is a tough negotiator, all the while with a smile on her face and a machete in her skirts! She will get the U S economy back on track, and restore respect for the U S abroad. She is pro-environment. She will work to end this war and bring our troops home. She will work to bring solidarity to the Dems and the GOP and get people working together to make life better for all of us. Her domestic agenda to improve education, provide universal health care, protect /respect the rights of all are just a few of the social issues for which Ms. Clinton has earned my respect.

We are fortunate to have so many great candidates running for the Democratic nomination. I was saddened to see that Biden and Dodd were leaving the race because I think they have many fine qualities and have given much to the American people in their service in the Senate. (and Dodd in the House '75-'81). We need them in the Senate with both of them having vast experience and a long history in these important jobs. With Dodd's experience and expertise as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and Biden's as Chairman of the Foreign Relations they have both contributed immeasurably to make life better for all of us.

I like John Edwards and really wish he had gotten the nomination in 2004. I think he was the best Democratic candidate then and could have gotten Bush out of the White House. I hope he will eventually join the Clinton campaign and run as her VP. What a great ticket that would be. The only thing better would be Gore, but he has said he is not interested in the #2 job again. There have been lots of comments on this board tonight both positive and negative. I respect others rights to state their opinion and hope when all the campaigning is done the best woman wins! GO HILLARY GO! In the White House we need a gentle woman, speaking softly (negotiating) laughing deeply(charming), standing firm, forging alliances, and showing the rest of the world there is once again an articulate, intelligent and tough leader in charge of the free world!

i am ready for another four years fo repuplican admin. because i remember "a saying if you want to get something nice you have to give up something nice" i want try for obama and i am ready for another four years fo repuplican adminstration.

and that's how much i love obama. thanks for opra winfrey.

Change is coming this country!!!!!

OBAMA 08!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hillary stick to your guns for change and do not let Iowa discourage you.

Iowa is not the perfect state to set the precedence as to who will become the next Pressdent. Remember it is a state that does not represent the rest of the US with regards to race, economics and ethniticy. So despite the press and hype .... prove them wrong go on to win where it matters in the USA.

Bill lost Iowa in 1996 and proved that Iowa does not dictate or set the tone as to who will be the next President and George Bush Senior lost to Bill Clinton.

OBAMA, has a bright future and i careles about his color. i'm optimism not pesimism. i love this country, the color of the people

I think the speechs said it all. Obama and Edwards talked about the people and thanked their spouses. Hillary was ME ME ME, my name is Clinton.

Why do people keep saying that Hillary is the only Democrat that can win? Have you SEEN the polls that show Obama could win the election with far more support than Hillary?

Hillary and all the Republicans will be the same vote as 2000 and 2004. Red vs Blue, most of the country doing the same old vote. There will be 3-4 states that make the difference, and the winner will likely have no mandate or >50% of the popular vote.

With Obama we might actually get a President that wins a support from both parties and independents. Hillary is the Democrats going for the safe bet, did we not learn from the last election safe and stoic does not inspire?

The Republicans inspire with fear and religion... if the Democrats only answer is, we aren't them... they will lost. Obama and Edwards at least inspire and bring something new to the table.

I am disgusted – not with Iowa, or the caucus, or the results. You want to know why the Dem party can't win? Go back and reread the comments. It's not about having different idiologies or political philosophies; that's to be expected. What's appaling is the natural instinct to take any opportunity to rip someone else apart when you "win". And we wonder why pro athletes get more attention than any of our domestic issues like economy, healthcare, or education? We deserve everything we get. Judging from this conversation, it won't be much in 2008. The election will be over, we'll be yelling at each other, and other countries will still be shaking their heads wondering when the spoiled brat in the house on the corner of Park Place and Boardwalk is going to grow up!

I am thrilled that Obama won tonight, especially in Iowa.

What a wonderful opportunity for him to move forward to share his message of change (and, yes, "Senator Clinton" didn't use that message until she was falling behind the senator from Illinois).

I can't think of anyone better than Senator Obama to move our country forward. He is a good man. . .an honest man. . .an experienced leader. . .and one who will listen to his constiuents while in the White House. Moreover, he will show the rest of the world that our country is truly "democratic" and we have moved full circle.

Congratulations to the Iowa team led by Obama state director Paul Tewes who made this terrific victory a possibility.

On to New Hampshire and the rest of our country. Vote OBAMA!!!

I think the press influenced this race–and as a result two candidates are withdrawing after only one small state has "voted." Because only the pretty, or the flashy, or those who give good sound bites get coverage, Bill Richardson, who, by the way, has been nominated for a NOBEL PEACE PRIZE multiple times, only got two percent of the vote, and Chris Dodd and Joe Biden got even less. I watched the news last night, and you wouldn't know there were any other candidates beside Clinton, Obama and Edwards. Why don't we demand more from our news? This is not a sprint. Look what a warm fuzzy feeling got our country seven years ago. This is too important to decide so quickly, or to let the press shape the race.

I'm glad Obama won so that the rest of the nation will begin to understand His connection to the CORRUPTION that is Illinois politics. The ;bloom' will fade quickly as Obamas' past is exposed in the upcoming Rezko Fed. trial...lay with dogs...... Remember, Jesse received MILLIONS of votes nationwide when He ran for President, but even the Blacks in Illinois Knew what a fraud He was and refused to offer the "symbolic"support . Obama is an empty suit propped up by the corrupt Illinois Democrats; they pushed Him into the U.S.Senate so that He would'nt run for mayor against Daley. Illinois Dems.(Daley) could care less who their "junior" Senator is.Come on CNN, take a close look at the junior Senator from Illinois....He does'nt talk to the Chicago/Illinois reporters anymore.

Other than in 1992, when Iowan Tom Harkin won a gimme that nobody even contested, nobody in EITHER PARTY has won the nomination without winning Iowa since 1988.

I am a moderate republican and Obama would have a 50% shot at my vote. I would as soon eat my own arm than let it cast a Clinton vote. Thinking HRC is your only hope is the type of thinking that served the you sooo well in the last two elections. You are going to need some [maybe a lot] of us republicans if you want to win this thing. Ignore that at your peril.

*** The whole Iowa thing is so overrated! When was the last time a first place winner in Iowa went on to win the presidency? ****

HAHAHA. Try last election. George W Bush. And the one before that, George W Bush. And the one before that, Bill Clinton. Oh, and the nominees for the party that lost the general election (Kerry, Gore, Dole) also won in Iowa.

OBAMA IS THE MOST ELECTABLE:

Enough with this "America is a bunch of racists" nonsense. What happened tonight should show you how wrong you are. Have you looked at any polls in the past 6 months? Head to head general election polls consistently show Obama beating every Republican. Hillary scores much weaker and wouldn't even beat Guliani.

Yeah there's a lot of racists in this country. So what? You think any of them are Demorcrats? The Dems don't have the racist vote anymore. This isn't the 1960s. Those votes are going to Republicans no matter who the Democratic candidate is. Or they'll just stay home (fine by me). However, the fringe right will come out in droves to vote against Hillary, who they hate with extreme passion. Nobody "hates" Obama except Hillary supporters.

------------------------------------

HALLELUJAH! and AMEN!

*** Clinton won 49 percent of those voters, while Richards came in second with 20 percent ***

FYI there is no candidate in the race named "Richards." Perhaps you were thinking of Bill Richardson?

Stephanie, Blackwelder, and all of you grumbling, kvetching supporters of the cackling shrew... In 2004, Kerry won Iowa and became the nominee (not Dean, dear... Iowa destroyed Dean's campaign in very much the same way it will destroy Clinton's). In 2000, George Bush won Iowa and with it the nomination. In 1996, Bob Dole won Iowa and became the nominee. In 1984, Walter Mondale won in Iowa and... became the nominee. In both 1976 and 1980, Jimmy Carter won in Iowa and... became the nominee. Check the facts and put an end to the spin. Hillary Clinton got a spanking today in Iowa, will get a more severe spanking in New Hampshire, where Barack is already leading. She will be forced to bow out when Barack lands the decisive blow in Nevada and then South Carolina. This race is about hope, not fear; it's about the future, not the past; it's about coming together, coalescing around an agent of change, not rooting for more of the polarization we've been seeing for as long as anyone can remember; it's about taking a risk, sacrificing, trusting, not playing it safe; it's about being bold, not timid. We–with the help of Barack Obama–will have a landslide win over the Republicans in 2008. And the American people will be the only winners in that fight–a fight for unity, for solidarity, for hope, for the future, for our children, for the men and women in Iraq, for the elderly who are having to choose between medicine and the rent, for the unemployed, for the disenfranchised, for the hopeless, for the underdogs. It's time to show the world why it is that America is known in every corner of the universe as the land of hope and opportunity.

http://uspolitics.about.com/od/2008elections/tp/iowa_caucuses.htm

From the comments I have read I've concluded that:
1) Hillary Dems will not vote for Obama because he is black; however, many Republicans will switch to Obama if he is nominated (I'm one of them). I'm a white conservative and I think that it is time to get over the race issues and unite the country. So much about Republicans being racist and Democrats being tolerant.
2) Two of you have stated the vast difference in votes Obama 940 and Huckabee over 35,000. That is because Republicans count votes, Democrats count DELEGATES. No wonder you lost Florida in 04 (Concerned Citizen in Jacksonville FL).
3) Hillary will not be an efficient leader if elected, Republicans dislike and distrust her (I'm one of them). The ground troops do not like her or trust her (again I'm one of them).
4) Her experience is overstated. What experience she had in the White House? She can't remember anything while being deposed including documents with her fingerprints on them. Honesty???? she has none. Charm?? She has none.
5) GO GO, Republicans and Democrats care about the environment, they have different ways of thinking of ways to fix it. Obama however was the only one that spoke about doing something about it during tonights speech.

An Obama/Edwards, Edwards/Obama ticket would be unbeatable.

The people who are cheering over Obama's victory in Iowa are the republicans.I listen all the right wing nuts radio show and they keep saying how Obama is such a great guy,he used drugs when he was younger who cares,his muslim background is such a great asset and as soon as he becomes the nominee the republican smear machine will go after him in full motion.I bet they'll find someone who bought drug from Obama, they'll find a cousin from his father side who is muslim that a have a connection with the terrorists and so and so.Don't forget that the republicans were thrilled when Kerry won the nomination.They were good enough to portray a war hero like Kerry(who volunteer to go to Vietnam) as a military hater.They can't smear Hillary, everything 's been thrown at her, no surprises.It's time for the democrats to wake up and to vote with their minds and not with their hearts, republicans do it better that's why they won 7 out of 10 times.What a great night for Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

Hillary needs to go back to basics. "The economy, stupid." She needs to remind voters of the prosperity from 1993-2000 and promise more of the same. Forget "experience," people care about jobs.

I support Hillary because I supported Bill. However, she needs to lose "the insider" rhetoric and pick up on Bill's themes of hope and change. I want to see the economy turned around. I want to see the mess in Iraq cleaned up. I want the country to have adequate health care. These are issues that affect people's lives. "Experience" is too nebulous. Hillary also needs to use Chelsea to get young people on her side.

The Clintons are facing an uphill battle. A lot of people aren't voting for Obama, they are voting against Hillary. Her poweful enemies, like the Daleys in Chicago, are working overtime to see her fail. However, Hillary can win, but she needs to revamp her strategy and do it quickly.

Hillary, Obama, Edwards would all be great candidates. I would vote for any of them. I prefer Hillary, though. I think the best ticket for democrats is Hillary with Obama as VP. I don't understand the hatred for Hillary. She is very intelligent. I guess a lot of haters have problems with really intelligent women, especially the men haters. Others hate her just because her name is Clinton. Very few haters I have encountered say they dislike her because of her stands on the issues. Therefore, I have to conclude they hate her because she is an intelligent woman and a Clinton and they hate Bill. No rationale for the hatred. If they say it is because of the issues, then they should hate Obama and Edwards (they all have similar stands).

I expect Hillary Clinton to bounce back and win the Democratic nomination. Experience means a lot to me, and she would also be a change from the disaster of the past eight years, so she is the best of both worlds, and not one or the other.

Opponents continually say that it's been either a Bush or a Clinton in the White House since 1988 and it's time to change that, but the Clinton administration was considered by most to be successful, and Bill Clinton left office with the highest recorded approval rating, so what's wrong with having another Clinton? On the other hand though, Bush senior was a failed one-term president, and his son has been even worse, so no more Bush's ever again!!!

One thing is certain from the Iowa caucuses and that is the Democrats will win the election this year, regardless of who wins the nomination. Iowa was a state that went to Bush in 2004, but only 114,000 Republicans bothered voting, while 220,000 Democrats voted. That says a lot! Obama, Clinton, and Edwards all received more votes than Huckabee in a Republican state, and that is great news for the Democratic Party!

To all those who think Obama is shallow or inexperienced, perhaps reading either (or both!) of his books - Audacity of Hope or Dreams of My Father - might help clarify his background. He is an expert in the Constitution and the history of Constitutional law. He worked for many years at the grassroots level organizing for the poor and disenfranchised. He has traveled widely and has a global perspective. These are positive traits for any American president, and stand in sharp relief to the small-mindedness and mean-spiritedness of the one who currently sits in the White House.

Obama is smart and can heal our wounds.

Hillary likes to tout her experience as being one of the main (if not the single main) factor that makes her the best candidate for the job.

As a young person, though (I'm 22, just earned my B.A.), I have to say that in my eyes "experience" is not all it's cracked up to be. In fact, I honestly believe that many of the most experienced politicians in Washington are also most problematic. They tend to be stuck in their ways, unwilling to think outside the box, slaves to lobbyists and other such influences, addicted to power/money, and decidedly unimaginative, optimistic, energetic, or passionate about their work.

So this election, I'm not voting for experience – I'm voting for the candidate who will bring something new to the table, something that can hopefully change politics in this nation for the better. We've seen two full decades of Bush/Clinton in the White House (it's unbelievable when you consider that the last president without one of those names was Reagan), and I honestly don't think that more of the same will be good for this country. Barack Obama has my vote, along with those of the vast majority of my friends and classmates; to all those who say that young people like to make a lot of noise but never actually show up when the votes are counted, this year will hopefully be the one where that unfortunate tendency changes.

And as far as electability goes – how could people even think Clinton is more electable than Obama. How many republicans do you think would even consider voting for Clinton? She will galvanize the right like none other... Obama's race is much less a factor than Clinton's reputation among conservatives (and even many independents). She can't win with the democratic vote alone.

Its good to see that Obama has won the caucus. I HOPE he goes on to win the nomination and the election. The problem with Hillary is that she's not genuine (or if she is,she doesnt make an effort to show it to the world...she's not bill thats for sure). I beleive race will not matter. Obama is not fully black he's half white. He doesnt fit intp the homie stereotype. Most importantly he has not run because he is BLACK but on his issues and vision and thats what makes him stand apart from jesse , who i have no respect for, as he's not genuinely concerened about blacks but just an oppotunist.

"Obama will never win a "Red" state as a "Black" candidate."
Yeah, because Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and the rest of the Old South don't have HUGE Black populations that would love to see a progressive black president elected–or are you and your Klan buddies planning to assemble your own voting squad to make sure certain people stay home this November?

It was a great night to be a Democrat regardless of who you support. We nearly doubled our turn-out from 2004 and with luck (hey who knows, right?) MAYBE most of those folks will actually turn out for the general election in November.

I am definitely an Edwards supporter, but Obama's speech was moving, well delivered and I have to say, presidential. I want to see more substance from him if he does become our candidate because the Republicans are ruthless and we all know that.

Iowa is a small taste of this country and perhaps not a great cross-section of our world, but how wonderful to see an African American win a 93% white state; how wonderful to see our democracy in action, people talking about politics, stating their cases, and being heard.

After the theft of the last two elections, and the absolute shame and arrogance our this administration, I am heartened to see people going out to vote and make a difference. It gives me hope to know that we still believe in this process after eight years of outright criminals running our government.

The race tonight left a smile on my face
Win: Obama
Place: Edwards
Show: Clinton.

I'll vote the party line for either of the top two. Hopefully after Clinton loses in New Hampshire she will drop out and it will be a great election. Either Obama or Edwards will easily beat anyone the Republicans put up.

Clinton or Edwards will win the nomination – Obama is too young, too inexperienced and too shallow. HOWEVER, any one of these candidates – even most of the republican candidates – will be a tremendous improvement over our current 'leader/clown'. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

ATTN: concerned citizen

Obama 926 votes and Huckabee 35,342 votes.

Those are not votes. Obama has 926 delegates. Huckabee has 35,342 votes.
The republicans caucus differently than the democrats in Iowa.

Not sure how Huckabee's votes translates into delegates. But the numbers aren't the same thing between them.

Demakooks, please walk torwards the light. You guys are spinning this all wrong. Iowa did not really vote for Obama and Edwards. They voted against Billary, socialism, and foolishness. Edwards hinted to this in his speech... The same will happen through February.

Obama or the trial lawyer will win the nomination. In November, the GOP will win 40-43 states.

A strong second place finish for John Edwards is all he needed. He ranks higher than Obama or Hillary against all republican candidates. With Dodd and Biden out of the race he stands to pick up their supporters. Obama has charisma. Edwards has a to do list; and issues will carry the rest of the primaries.

Congratulations to Sen. Obama. I believe that Sen. Clinton showed the most class in her speech, Sen. Obama the contest is not over, this is a long race and Sen. Clinton will give it her best. in the end we will have a nominee, hopefully one that can get to the white house and perhaps get us back in the right direction.

GO HILLARY GO!

OBAMA FOR AMERICA,...CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN

To all those who use "racist fear mongoring", OBAMA being Black is a NON-ISSUE. He is Biracial White Mother, Black Father with a very great Blood Line. He is the right person to lead America at the right time. Whatever your Politics or belief do not believe he can't win the South because he is black. He will, I do believe in the inherent good nature of every soul to see the light. There are many here who are trying to spread fear by being dishonest, however the greater majority of American's will vote for CHANGE whether it is OBAMA, HILLARY OR EDWARDS, the fact remain unchangeable that the DEMOCRATIC PARTY, THE REPUBLICAN VOTERS who will cross party to vote democratic for OBAMA or even Hillary will ensure a 48 STATE Sweep for the Dems in November.

People, change is in the AIR...It is incredible and it is EXTRAORDINARY...

"FROM POSSIBILITY TO REALIZATION, PRESIDENT OBAMA 2008!

AMERICA IS AN INCREDIBLE PLACE, OBAMA-CLINTON 2008!

I'm a Romney fan and hope he makes the nomination. But if Huck goes up against Obama, I'll vote Dem for the first time EVER! Romney and Obama are Uniters, they will be able to reach across party lines. Huck cannot and neither can Hillary or Edwards.

Our USA deserves to become truly Re-United. That seems to be Obama's message of change, verse one.
Our USA deserves an experienced extremely talented hard working man of Integrity like Mitt who has also reached across party lines and wants to help our country prosper as it should.

Clinton = Division continued: too much hate toward you, like toward Bush.
Edwards = Stay home and love your family this time around. Sorry but it's true.

A night full of surprises!!!! The Dems have such "risky" candidates, I would love to see America truly support either a woman or a Black man....although I like the Edwards values ....But can the Dems actually win with this selection?

jlconsultants
http://www.joannaleigh.com

I kind of like the results, makes me feel encouraged that our votes count, not money.

But I think Iowa does not hold any importance compared to Florida. Giuliani is extremely popular there, and in fact I saw "google Ron Paul" signs everywhere. I think we're going to see VERY different results in different states.

Colin: Have you considered the Green Party?

Go Greens!

Wanna know why Republicans like Obama and why Obama could very well win this thing? Listen to these candidates talk! Edwards talks about everything that is wrong with America. Hillary talks about everything that is wrong with her fellow Americans (those she disagrees with, i.e. Republicans). Obama talks about everything that is right with America, about how he wants to bring together those whom he disagrees with, and a vision of this country as great. As someone from the Republican side of the aisle I'm dumbstruck to see a candidate whose positions are ranked to the left of Clinton's speak in front of a crowd chanting "USA, USA!" Maybe some of you Democrats, particularly the ones who love bashing Republicans, don't realize this but we see a lot of problems with you folks as well. One of the biggest ones is that your annointed demagogues like Clinton and Michael Moore and Jane Fonda all seem to hate this country. When we see a Democrat who's not afraid to display some patriotism for a change it restores a lot of our faith in your party's commitment to this country. You folks have as much of an obligation to be good countrymen to us as we have to be so to you, and Obama is really the one who seems to do that. While Edwards is busy playing class hatred and Clinton likes to stoke the red-blue divide Obama is up there saying America is a special thing that's really about all of us. That's a compelling message, and it shows that he "gets it." Hillary Clinton doesn't "get it." John Edwards doesn't "get it." Both of them are looking to be your president, not mine. Obama wants to be our president. That's the sort of thing that's going to win in November, because 2000 and 2004 showed that when you divide this country Republicans will beat you in the ground game.

Mike huckabee does not come across as presidential. He really shouldnt have won. But I am happy with the democrats, they stopped hillary. I HOPE Obama goes on to win the nomination and the election. To all those people who say hes not going to win because he's black, I suspect they themselves are prejudiced and besides he's half black! But it would ceratainly be intersting because no senator since JFK has won the presidency its always been governors.

It would be nice if some of you two faced lying hypocrites would just say I will not vote for Hillary because she is a Woman or Obama because he is Half/black, because some of your comments come off as saying exactly that but in a more political tone. Stop hidding behind the Old stigmas of the USA (way back when) because obviously The Good peoples of Iowa do not share your sentiment.

Hillary, Edwards and Obama are all qualified to lead this country,
just because you dont like one or the other, don't put your emotional standpoint on the USA, there are some women who don't like Hillary some blacks who don't like Obama and some whites who don't like Edwards, But the bottom line is you already made up your mind who you are going to vote for and why!

In your words the landscape of the USA has not changed but in reality it's your mind and heart that's suck in reverse, the new political landscape is not the same, I would love to see the 1rst–of–1rst be it Obama or Hillary.

Are some of you going to move to another country if Obama becomes president?

In Republican state Iowa, Democrats had nearly twice as many going to the caucuses as Republicans. Thank you George "I'm a Uniter" Bush!

Kylie ,
Its funny how you left out the candidates that DID win in Iowa that ALSO won the nomination of there party:
Democrats:
January 19, 2004 – John Kerry (38%)
January 24, 2000 – Al Gore (63%)
February 12, 1996 – Bill Clinton (unopposed)
February 20, 1984 – Walter Mondale (49%)
January 21, 1980 – Jimmy Carter (59%)

Republicans:
2004- George W. Bush (unopposed)
2000- George W. Bush (41%)
1996- Bob Dole (26%)
1992- George H. W. Bush (unopposed)
1984- Ronald Reagan (unopposed)

Not bad for Iowa , huh... your bias is showing.

CNN must be really disappointed. Their candidate ranked third tonight. Iowans probably don't watch CNN often.

So funny how everyone complains about the so called 'pulling the race card', but now want to use it in full force against Obama. OBAMA WINS. Period.

"Stephanie January 3, 2008 10:29 pm ET

Why is Iowa so important? DIdn't Dean win in 2004 and Edwards took second, but the third place finisher Kerry ended up winning the nomination? Weird, huh? So why doesn't the winner get all of the delegates? I noticed that all of the candidates received delegates based on their percentages of votes won. Oh well, I learned something new about the process. I bet the people of Iowa are glad this is over."

I'm confused myself with Iowa caucus. I'm independent so I never caucus.
I read if the person you're voting for gets less than 15%, you can switch/be persuaded to switch??? Look at what Richardson and Kucinich voters, persuaded to switch to Obama? Those 2 are probably vying for VP. So if there's no persuasion or switching it will be Clinton or Edwards.

I read GOP caucus are more starightforward.

I still vote for experience, strong and responsible to lead our country. I'm not going to be persuaded by rhetorics.
Bill C. balanced the budget and we had trillion dollar surplus. he's one of the 2 US President who were able to balanced the budget.
Economy, healthcare, education, immigration are important.
Foreign policy is another and you have to play by the book. You can't just sit down and have a cup of coffee with Pres. of Iraq and Venezula.

Obama won, but given how much the media mugged for him, is it any surprise?

Being undecided, I have a message to the media: Last time I checked, aside from 'the Iraq', there are 49 other states that have a say. That means it's not over, in spite of your best wishes to the contrary.

And as much as you would like to go into the ballot and mark the candidates for us, stop talking up your favorite candidates so hard. We don't need campaign finance reform when you indundate us with the 'leaders' and 'favorites' with your quasi news/human interest stories.

And, please... stop glorifying the quaint Iowa caucus system. In medieval times we lost the know how to make concrete, last thing I want to hear are feature stories on a system that reads like 'Old Yeller'.

Jeesh.

How come nobody is talking about the realities of what winning the Iowa Caucus means (or not)? There are plenty of historic discrepancies between which candidates won past Iowa Caucuses versus who actually went on to win their respective party nominations.

Below is a list of previous Iowa Caucus winners vs. Actual Party Nominees… but what about historic elections of the past?

1980
Iowa: George Bush (R), Jimmy Carter (D)
US: Ronald Reagan (R), Jimmy Carter (D)

1984
Iowa: Ronald Reagan (R) (no Republican Caucus), Walter Mondale (D)
US: Ronald Reagan (R), Walter Mondale (D)

1988
Iowa: Bob Dole (R), Richard Gephardt (D)
US: George Bush (R), Michael Dukakis (D)

1992
Iowa: George Bush (R) (no Republican Caucus), Tom Harkin (D)
US: George Bush (R), Bill Clinton (D)

1996
Iowa: Bob Dole (R), Bill Clinton (D) (no Democratic Caucus)
US: Bob Dole (R), Bill Clinton (D)

2000
Iowa: George W. Bush (R), Al Gore (D)
US: George W. Bush (R), Al Gore (D)

2004
Iowa: George W. Bush (R) (no Republican Caucus), John Kerry (D)
US: George W. Bush (R), John Kerry (D)

It just sickens me that media still talks about this as a two-person race, even though John Edwards has fought his way into a respectable second place finish in Iowa? Why do they continue to frame this as a two-person race in the face of the statistics? Even the conservative media is scared of John Edwards. 5-6 months ago Bill O'Reilly said he didn't have a chance in hell. It is time to face reality folks... John Edwards is our best chance at winning the white house back.

Its funny how people are trying to compare the democratic and republican vote but fail to realize that the dems do not release actual vote counts so what you are seeing is the number of delegates, but the republican number is the actual number of votes so don't compare apple and oranges. Also stop making it a race issue, Obama won in an almost all white and rural state. The south is predominately white and rural. We are a different nation that we were when Bill first ran for president. We are a different country than were were in 2000. We are more open minded and accepting of different races. For those who said Obama can win because he is black or that people will not vote for a black man, stop making and excuse for your bigotry. Say that you wont vote for him because he is black not because others won't vote for him. He is the best candidate running, Edwards would be a good VP but i do not think he will get the nod unless he stops after NH, if he does he should be a lock for VP. Hillary will finish out her senate term and be pissed for life and finally gain some experience to run on, and maybe she will release her wife duty records she has sealed hoping she would be able to lie about the experience that doesn't exist. We will enjoy 8 great years of near perfection with Obama, so if your racist you should get some help.

Edwards is wonderful and would have my support – but then that would only be if Obama weren't running. He's the who can finally bring those who are disgusted with process back to the polls and political process. It's time for a complete change!!!!

Before tonight's results, I was really down on the idea of Iowa having so much influence. But I have to say, the results tonight were pretty much in accord with Seattle...except Hillary would have had less, and Obama more. I think Iowa did all right.

Those who think the U.S. is not ready to elect a black President, answer me this: Do you think of Obama as black??? I think of him as hope for a different future, he could be purple for all I care.

I couldn't be more delighted to see Hillary finish third. HA! Just as I predicted, but I thought Edwards would finish first. Oh well, he can't seem to get over the #2 spot. Maybe he'll be Obama's Veep?

Time to turn the page on the Clintons and let the 90s die. Thank you, Iowa!
Now, it's your turn, New Hampshire. Go Youth Movement! Rock the vote.

Some of these comments are incredible.

1) Most voters who choose a party in Iowa are Democrats, not Republicans. A few commenters have posted the hilarious fact that Obama supposedly got 900 votes, Huckabee 35,000 (approximate)! Ludicrous. The Republicans were holding a preference vote, unlike the Dems, who were caucusing. Obama's 900 aren't "votes" you sillies.

2) Obama's win among an extremely liberal group doesn't extrapolate that well to America as a whole, obviously. Many people seem to support Obama without having the slightest idea of what his positions are on any issue. That ignorance isn't going to last much longer. He's not going to get away with his fluff forever.

3) Bush did win the Florida Electoral vote in 2000. The State Legislature made it clear he did. Re Electoral votes are not necessarily decided by popular vote, and nor should they be, in case of a situtation where the results were too close to call in a reasonable time.

4) Hillary Clinton is not, by any means, done. She can have a strong showing in New Hampshire and all will be well for her. Of course, tonight means that job will be tougher, but she can still bounce back, and she probably will.

5) John Edwards can only win if Obama collapses, and that is unlikely. Edwards is not a better stop Hillary candidate than Obama. I love how he supports the struggle of the average American, him and his $400 haircut.

6) it's always funny how the people that attack Bush's intelligence often show they are unable to write a simple sentence without a million errors in grammar. Bush: Harvard and Yale. His average net-roots critic: Apex Refrigeration Repair Academy of Duluth (if that).

Concerned citizen – you are reading it wrong. That 900 figure you see has something to do with state delegates that Obama received. The Democratic party caucuses differently than the Republicans and do not release number of votes. I copied this from CNN's explanation on the page where all the votes were tallied.

State Del* – Instead of releasing caucus vote totals, the Iowa Democratic Party releases a total estimating the number of delegates to the state convention each candidate will receive.

this is the link
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#IA

I don't know how many voted for Obama but if over 200,000 people showed up to caucus, add up the total votes for Republicans and you will see that there are plenty of democrats in IA.

THANK YOU IOWA!!!

I am appalled at the overt racial tone of so many of these comments. Are we really still in that mind frame after all of these years? Enough with the cynicism, enough with racism. Regardless of whether or not you believe Obama too idealistic or too 'black' to succeed against the GOP, aren't you ready to at least think outside the box? Won't be elected because he is black? Come on. Get over the myopia that binds us down to cynicism and fear and stand up for once- for change- for a real and final exodus from such an obvious injustice as racism.
And let's give some confidence and encouragement to our youth instead of this garbage about staying home in November. Treat them like you want them to be, not like they are- and so they will become.
Also, concerned citizen- the reason that there was such a large disparity between the number of votes btwn Obama and Huckabee is because the Dems and the GOP do their caucusing differently. The Dem votes do not represent individuals but state delegate votes. From full IA results page- "Instead of releasing caucus vote totals, the Iowa Democratic Party releases a total estimating the number of delegates to the state convention each candidate will receive."

Although I now live in Florida, in 2004 I was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention representing Iowa. As such I think I know a little bit about Iowans and about politics.

The truth is people as goes Iowa, goes the nation. Democrats aren't going to win in the deep south and west no matter who they nominate. Repulicans aren't going to win the upper midwest, west and northeast no matter who they nominate. The way our country is divided it pretty much comes down to the crucial mideast states...and Florida.

I think Iowans got the pulse of the nation right. The economy in those mideast states and Florida remains very bad and the people there want change. Obama is the candidate of change.

This "unelectable" garbage is nothing but racism and sexism disowned and projected onto others. The only reason that a woman or a black man couldn't win is due to people saying they are "unelectable" out of fear of how others may react. For those of you saying America won't elect a black man or a woman- look in the mirror. You are standing in the way of progress.

Dems are in a great position. Good candidates, good campaigns, lots of momentum. Rather than the lesser of evils, we get to choose an amazing future president from a pool of very good applicants.

Obama will win, because he is something truly special.

It's funny that the far left (and the media) always try to brand conservatives as racists, and here it's the Hillary supporters that are screaming up and down that Obama can't win because he's black. One (Hillarygirl) even insists that she won't vote for him because he's black. Well, I am one conservative, formerly registered as a Republican, who will gladly vote for Obama. He understands that what we need right now is the uniter that Bush in 2000 claimed he was going to be. Divisive partisanship, if it continues, is going to rip this country apart, and Hillary is easily the most divisive candidate out there.

Ed Blackwelder,

You'll eat your words come Super Tuesday! I'm sure that there are plenty of Iowa Corn Farmers that will gladly butter up a corn cob and tell you where to stick it!

ED winter park fl – we shouldn't "experiment" with having a woman leader because they don't get any respect? You want to say that to Margaret Thatcher's face? There are female leaders, prime ministers, etc. all over the world who are respected just fine. The reason Condi doesn't get respect has less to do with her gender and more to do with the fact that she's Bush's lapdog. And who the heck respects Bush.

That said, I respect women enough to NOT vote for Clinton just b/c she's a woman. And every time she pulls that "experience" thing out of her @#% I want to scream. Let's say my husband is a doctor- anybody want me doing their appendectomy because of my "experience" with my husband's career? Ridiculous, offensive, and silly. And hollow. Knock it off, Hilary. Find something not quite so risible.

I've never given money to a political candidate in my life, but I proudly have given to Obama and wear my Obama Momma shirt with a smile on my face!

if americans want to see this thing in terms of race or gender, weve got more problems than we think- this is about truthfulness, restoring the government to the people, not pandering to special interests, and having core convictions. unlike her husband i know the definition of is, and hilary clinton tonight IS a loser.barack obama won because he IS a leader and an honest man with the courage to take on the insiders and sycophants and self proclaimed saviors of this country. this will take a while to play out, but i think it IS the beginning of the resurrection of this country.

on the plane ride out to new hampshire ms clinton should read the childrens fable the emperors new clothes. if she has any courage, shell withdraw by the time the plane lands in manchester and spare us all the indignity of her selfindulgent " you owe me ego tour."

as for experience, what the hell is ms clintons experience- if im married to a surgeon, does that make me qualified to take a spleen out?

barack obama could have dodged his past, could have had a wall street or madison avenue job, but instead admitted his mistakes, took a job with conscience and conviction that allowed him to do public good, and proved tonight that he is admirable and viable. so lets go out there and do it again and again and again so we can get america back on track with a capable and competent man at the helm. Obama is the right guy for the time; hilary clinton is a con-artist and a huckster who running out of incarnations.

Very Interesting. I knew Barack would do well, and Hillary would slip in Iowa, but I didn't think Barack would do this well, and Hillary would slip this far, this fast. It goes to show you (just like Bill Clinton's election in 1992), that money isn't everything. (Remember, back in 1992 at this point Bill Clinton didn't have much money, and today, Hillary has stacks of money to spend.) To be seriously considered as a candidate you either have to be respected (like John McCain), or liked (like Barack Obama). If you are a candidate that is neither liked nor respected (like HRC) then money won't get you far.

I don't want to be inspired. I want a candidate that doesn't need on the job training.
NOT Barak. NOT Huckabee. Where is Al Gore when you need him?

John Edwards speech tonight was incredible.The fact that he accepts zero money from big business for his campaign is incredible.
As a nurse years ago I heard Edwards plan for universal healthcare and agreed with him.He was the first candidate that stated a specific healthcare plan that was feasible.
Edwards has the charisma,the actions,the winning record as a litigator.
He has experience as senator,the experience as 2004 VP candidate and what's more he has the proven record of putting money in American pockets.
Economically, globally we are losing and that needs to stop.America needs John Edwards as President.

Check out the people on stage with Hillary in front of the billboard "Ready For Change":

Slick Willy
Madeline Albright
Wesley Clark
Terry McAuliffe
Etc....

Looks like a bunch of "has beens" desperately clinging on.....this is Change Hillary?

A few people seem confused about the vote totals...the numbers on the Dem side are for how many delegates they get at the state convention,while the numbers on the Republican side are how many people voted for them. If, as the Democratic Party of Iowa says, 220,000 people voted in the Democratic caucuses, that means Obama had about 84,000 votes, Edwards had about 66,000 votes, and Clinton about 64,000 votes. That means each of them had more votes than Huckabee and Romney combined. Twice as many people caucused as Democrats tonight as Republicans.

Congrats to Senator Obama. Please enjoy when it lasts. I absolutely doubt that you will be a Democratic presidential candidate, let alone be the President of the United States of America. No offense at all. But good night and good luck.

JerseyGirl,

Do I sense a defection, are you about ready to leave what some have termed the "Darth Vader" of the democratic party and come over to the light and sunny side – the Right Side?

I'm sure Mitt or Huck would be happy to welcome your support and you too can join the Army of "Might and Rightousness".

I think you'd find Huck a better fit for your current fiscal views however.

No matter what I hope things look up for you, your post made it sound like you were a little down in the dumps.

EDWARDS!

Why are the political pundits only speaking of the Dem nomination in terms of Clinton and Obama?

Obama is too slick, seems insincere and is almost Republican.

Hillary is emotionally dead and moves with the wind.

Edwards–he's the only one who speaks with passion and clarity of mission. He doesn't mince words. We don't need another smooth negotiator, smooth operator. We need someone with a plan who will stand up for the American people. He's the only one I can relate to, the others seem like TV commercials.

I am torn between supporting Clinton and Obama as I believe they both have great qualties that would make them excellent for the office of the president. However, one thing that I have to say is that as a young black man, I am disappointed in constantly hearing that a black pesron will never have a chance to win such a prominent position within our society. I know that many people in this country still harbor beliefs of racism, bigotry, and sexism but I believe that most of the country is truly ready for a change. A new generation of people are more open minded are speaking out and want to create a better society. I would like to have some hope that anyone can aspire to be whatever they want without worry that they would not be accepted for who they are regardless of skin color, sex, or religion. Seeing such messages as a black or woman could never become president disheartens me so much that I think that we all are truly screwed if we cannot get pass thinking like this. I hope to be someone who will do many good things but I guess I will never be anyone special because after all I'm just black! For one thing everyone agrees on is that CHANGE is needed. I think its important for all us to be open minded and hope for a new direction in the way we all live our lives.

Senator Obama wins Iowa however I'm here to point out a few things. I think that Democrats need to think long and hard by looking at the big picture.
Let's say if Senator Obama were to end up getting the nomination when it's all over, that would be handing the Republicans the another victory for the Whitehouse and I'll tell you why, they will hammer on Obama's lack of experience and use the politics of fear all over again which is exactly why I think we should all put our support to Senator Hillary Clinton while there is still time. Like her or not once again look at the big picture, Hillary has got the best chance to beat any Republican in a national election that's why I'm saying even if you're not that crazy about Hillary please look at the big picture and think long and hard before you cast your votes. Senator Obama has also talked a great deal about change but if you look back to last summer he's not all that anti-war change like he claims to be when you look at the irresponsible comments he made about Pakistan as he talked about how he would consider military strikes. This isn't bringing our friends to the table everyone and if we are going to solve problems in the world then we need to work with other countries and our friends not push them away. Going back to the big picture of the national election in November, once again put to the side any feelings you may have and think. Hillary has the best chance of beating the Republican and she is well known, experienced to bring change, and Hillary is the most known and respected around the world and after the failures of the Bush administration we need Hillary to help gain us back respect at home and around the world so please think long and hard before you vote and think ahead to the big picture.

John Edwards an Barack Obama spoke for the people who support them. Both are about much needed change. John Edwards brought tears to my eyes as he spoke about the hard working people of this country. Both men spoke about health care and bringing our troops home. Clinton is business as usual and is missing what people want CHANGE.

Huckabee is a welcomed voice for conservatives who have had enough of the Bush Regime. Huckabee was upstaged by Chuck Norris and his wife. All and all Iowa spoke and gathered together and was a wonderful kicking off state.

PeacePassion
Northern California

Once again most of the haters refuse to acknowledge the fact that thousands of white voters braved the cold elements to vote for someone that in the 1950's and early 90's they might not considered, ther are a lot of whites in Iowa who haved change thier positions from when they were young, ( Older whites ) who are staunch supporters of Obama now along with ther kids! They showed up big tonight to send a new message that America needs healing and mending from all the hurt and pain caused by the Republican party and Mr. bush in particlar.

I love Hillary and believes that she is brilliant but Obama is anointed and this contry needs the anointing that he and his wife brings. I watched Ms. Obama talk to the older/ younger whites at a town hall meeting on Cspan, by the end of her speach the croud was in tears at the message she was speaking. She was able to connect to the proposed racist whites or hate mungers, that many of you prejudice commentors are refering to now.

Iowa should be commended and to those who say The Iowa caucus dosen't matter you are only saying that because your hopeful did not win it.

Obama's campaign is pretty superficial: it's all about change. Decontextualized change is an empty word, appealing only to those who lack analytical powers of thought. His team seems to lack any depth in political analysis.I resent Obama presenting himself as a black candidate. He is black to the extent that Tiger is black. I belive that Oprah's support will come back to haunt him. I have a problem with her failure to endorse any candidate until one who is perceived as black comes along. While I'm a lifelong Democrat, I'm disappointed that Biden is now out. I'm getting behind McCain.

Very interesting night in Iowa. What an amazing speech from Obama. I look forward to see what the US does over the next few months.
Gigi from Canada

I expect a million blogs on this topic. Some of you will expose your true colors (if you know what I mean).

Congrats to Obama BUT when was the last time Iowa even picked a Presidential winner let alone the party front runner... umm maybe 0.05 % of the time. This is just the first of MANY contests to come.

GO GO,

It might be time for your ideas to be going sir.

To subvert a previously over used phrase:

"It ain't the enviroment stupid" – Man you got to know by now that that dog won't hunt. Too many decenting opinions now for this to continue to be a serious campaign issue. Sure it will get lip service but it has been OBE'd dude.

So get your head out of your rainforest sandbox and get on with life.

And I mean that in the most respectful, kindest way.

Yes, Marian, I agree with your point of view. I just listened to Obama address his supporters. It is rhetoric I have heard many, many times before in previous elections. Memories are short. All one needs to do is revert back to the 2000 and 2004 election. The mantra of change is nothing new. Finally Obama's "blackness" suddenly appeared tonight which was non-existent prior to his caucus win.

David – I couldn't agree more! When are people going to wake up and realize that this isn't about an African American Man (if you want to be technical, half) or a Woman making history as a "first", it is about the Best Candidate not only based off of what they say now but what they have done in the past. It scares me to think with all the foreign policy that need to be worked on we are so willing to put someone with such limited experience into the worlds most important position. Yeah, Obama is a great speaker. Notice that he came to the podium last, I am sure he was waiting for his speech writers to tweak his victory speech. Hate to say it but if he gets the nod, the Republicans are going to rip him apart about his lack of experience. Charisma is going to buy us another 4 years of the Republicans!

Republicans are shaking in their boots after the results in Iowa. Yes, it's one state. But if you look behind the numbers, it is clear that this country is rejecting the politics of the past 7 years and is prepared to embrace a change: to the rule of law, to the return of our Constitution, to the recognition that Iraq is quicksand; that healthcare for every American is paramount. The handwriting is on the wall. Whether Obama is ultimately the nominee is secondary to the fact that whoever the Democrats put up to run in November, the Republicans cannot possibly defeat.

I've watched with interest since 2000 how people can make costly mistakes in elections. America, do not make the same mistake 3 times. This election is very critical. More than anything, the fate of the world depends on the decision you will make in your next election. The GOP has to go and you need a strong candidate to to this: Hillary. Iowa's election is just a first step, do not lose hope. Hillary's camp need to review their campaign stratety and engage their grass root supporters. We need to stop the war and conflicts around the world and we need to elect women who can dialogue to resolve issues instead of flexing muscles. Men have for a long time been in charge and right now, there is conflict, war and chaos everywhere, it is time we begin to make things right to create a safer and better world for our children. See for example: Germany, Argentina, Liberia, be part of the change, make history, generations of decendents of our military will be grateful to you.

What a wonderful evening of spken words of change. I have been on the fence and I was motivated by Edwards and Obama. Both are representative of change, and you could feel the energy of the supporters. I believe in both men and trust that hey are not about corporation money as Clinton is.

Huckabee has some wonderful ideas of change, but I felt that having Chuck Norris and his wife behind him was distracting. I also felt having Bill behind Hilliary (who did not speak well) was also distracting. Again edwards and Obama have listened to the people who intend to take this country back and are seeking change.

Donna Jean
California

......."this is about who is more electable, who is ready on day one."

HILLARY...This is Day ONE, and you left our AMERICAN FLAG on the floor! Now, when you say you will bring home our troops, do you know.....will you wave the flag, or step on it?

If you beleive the American people will vote for Obama if he gets the democratic nomination your crazy. The republicans will use his inexperience to the fullest, they will make mincemeat out of him. So if you want another republican in the white house continue to vote for him in the primaries. Use your heads not your heart.

Congratulations Mr. Obama.

But this is not over from Clinton. Everybody knew Iowa is too patriarchal to go for a woman. And Hillary has too much energy and too many resources, and she is fighter so Iowa represents only 1.3% to the national convention.. so keep going Hillary.

Obama had a good speech as he often does. He is energized by his success. However, Hillary was strong and made a number of good points. This is just the start for the WH race.

Hillary'08!

Some of you need to brush up on the differences between the Democrats and Republicans and how they run the caucus.

To answer the confusion: Democrats use Delegates in each precinct. In my precinct (which 117 people attended tonight) we got three delegates. We could have given all three to one candidate, two to one and one to another, or one delegate to three candidates. During the caucus, we separated into our respected candidates and then tallied how many people were supporting that candidate. In order for the candidate to receive a delegate, they must be viable (in our precinct they needed 20 to continue). If they were not a viable candidate, their supporters had 20 minutes to decide who to support next. There then is a mathematical equation for how many people are supporting each candidate and this determines how many delegate votes each candidate received.

On the Republican side, every person who attends fills out a "ballot" and that is then tallied. So the 35,000+ that Huckabee received were the actual number of people, where the 920+ that Obama received were delegate votes.

HILLARY CLINTON: "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas . . "
TODAY's WOMAN VOTER: "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies, but I went out and voted for Obama instead. We did not vote for Hillary when her husband became president and we do not want a co-presidency in 2008. Hillary's problem remains the same: no one likes or trusts her.

JUAN .R. VELEZ-DEYA January 3, 2008 10:25 pm ET

I HAVE CONCLUDED TO VOTE REPUBLICAN,,,NO ONE HAS MENTIONED OBAMA BINLADENS MILITARY RECORD,, DID HE SERVE??????

----------------------

Apparently, in ignorance, you confused Barack Obama with the man that Bush has failed to punish after SIX YEARS and has said he "isn't that concerned about". Not knowing the presidential candidate's name makes you a great representative for the Republican party.

Barack was too young to be drafted during the Vietnam War, unlike Cheney who used many deferments. Now, maybe you can help Bush try to find ONE PERSON in the world who can verify that he actually served in Alabama. Good luck.

This comment cracked me up:

'Clinton is the candidate with the most to hurdle, including media bias against her. '

You must be absolutely joking. Clinton is the only one that the liberal media is in absolute love with. This is Iowa folks – not the actual convention. Clinton will win the nomitation, but will lose the election. It's better for dems if she doesnt win the election. If she wins the nomination we'll have the highest voter turnout ever, to make sure she doesnt get in.

If Obama wins, then the republicans will win. He'll never get elected, not even close and not because he isn't capable. It'll be the old salt and pepper routine.

It's high time a woman runs for President, once elected this position will probably never house a man again.

I like Edwards most, but agree Obama has the best message. Hillary has so many detractors all over the board, including me. I have no problem with a woman for President, but you need someone like Geraldine Ferraro, who is honest and hardnosed and authentic. My concern with Barack is that he's going to get a boost from the youth vote, and in November they'll all be at home watching MTV instead of voting.

The word "electability" means the same thing "popularity contest" meant back in the 6th grade class elections I voted in as a child. If "change" is such a nebulous term, then why not vote for "improvement" and the next "preserver of the Constitution of the United States".

P.S.

Tonight, I have been "obamafied". Obama has shown why he is the best choice for President. Iowa has set an admirable precedent that should be followed all over the country. Obama is the right man to lead America, especially now when international opinion about the USA is so negative. Obama is the only candidate who can project an image of a tolerant & united America to the rest of the world. One of the reasons the international community is so cynical about America's claim to democracy is that it is perceived as a divided and prejudiced country. With Iowa, and Obama's election as President later this year, the world will realize why America is a great and admirable country. With Obama in the lead, the United States can finally claim its rightful place in history and be in a better position to lead the rest of the world. Go Iowa! Go America! Obama is the answer!

I just saw a snippet of Hillary's statement to her supporters... "this is about who is more electable, who is ready on day one." I think she's definitely wrong on both counts, but my other observation is that she sounds just like Walter Mondale did in 1984.

After losing to the "change candidate" Gary Hart in NH, Mondale recovered that year and won the nomination in bruising fashion. Back then Mondale lost 49 states to Ronald Reagan. All the labor and political endorsements Mondale was trumpeting through the primary season, just looked like ways he was beholden to special interests during the general election, as the Repubs were not shy about pointing out. He and the Democrats got creamed. I don't think the Dems would want to repeat that experience.

Plus, Obama is a much better candidate (more stable, better communicator, less secretive) than Hart was. Despite what she says, Clinton has none of the vast executive and legislative experience that Mondale brought to the table.

Thank you Iowa,

For sending a message load and clear that America does not want any more Clintons or Bush's in the White House anytime too soon. This is for the Presidency of the United States not some cool title we can pass to our relatives. When they say dynasties in sports it's OK, a little silly but OK. When they talk dynasties for leading your country that scares the crap out of me.

Thank You Iowa, You did your country proud today.

As a white voter, who traditionally supports Republicans, I would gladly throw my cards to Obama...never HRC...

OBAMA IS THE MOST ELECTABLE:

Enough with this "America is a bunch of racists" nonsense. What happened tonight should show you how wrong you are. Have you looked at any polls in the past 6 months? Head to head general election polls consistently show Obama beating every Republican. Hillary scores much weaker and wouldn't even beat Guliani.

Yeah there's a lot of racists in this country. So what? You think any of them are Demorcrats? The Dems don't have the racist vote anymore. This isn't the 1960s. Those votes are going to Republicans no matter who the Democratic candidate is. Or they'll just stay home (fine by me). However, the fringe right will come out in droves to vote against Hillary, who they hate with extreme passion. Nobody "hates" Obama except Hillary supporters.

A lot of people are putting the stress of Obamas' win in Iowa. There are a lot of people obviously not realizing that Iowa is only one state and also, it is a primarily Republican state. The vote difference being 10's of thousands. Last i checked the tally was Obama 926 votes and Huckabee 35,342 votes.

I am undecided as to who to vote for as of yet, however one state especially a primarily republican state will not decide where my or many other peoples votes go. The true view's will be recognized when you see the race in a split political view state.

It ain't over til it's over.

One down, way to go Obama!!! I have been following you from the beginning. It's nice to have a genuine person representing the Democratic party. I wish I could have been there to help make history. New Hampshire is next and at this point Obama is leading there, then South Carolina. I know Iowa is only one state, but what a great way to start. I know there are many bloggers that think a black man (yes, half white too, but the prejudiced part of our country cannot get past his other half) cannot win the national election. I would guess the deep south will be the testing ground there. I live in Dallas and I know MANY who support Obama here. I know he has a good shot at this! He appeals to independents, Republicans and Democrats. He is one of a very few who can bring our country back together and get through the bipartisanship that divides us.

As far as experience, I want to get away from the Washington experience that took us to war in Iraq. Too many clueless sheep in that lot. I want a leader who has foresight, backbone, and integrity. Obama represents all of these! Go Obama!!

Y'all are forgetting that the reason Clinton came from behind in 1992 was Jesse Jackson doing so well early on.

This year Jesse Jackson is not running. The candidate closest to Jesse Jackson's positions is a white Southern male. There's no reason why the Democrats can't select Barak Obama as their best Republican candidate.

I think that if huckabee get elected that the country is in for a lot of trouble. I think the smart dem vote is to vote for the person that has the best chance of winning the over all election. I am not sure who that is but i also agree that it may not be Obama even though i am a supporter of him. We need to focus on getting the republicans out of office.

From Akron Ohio

Congtrats to the youth of America who live in Iowa, I applaud your energy and resole to foward your historical vote for a incredible man who will be our next president. To the whites who are in denile have absolutely no clue about the modern day movement, and Blacks who say He will never get elected I say to you that you should really look in the mirror and ask yourself (why am I a racist?) A vote for Obama is a vote for change and to see it any other way means that you are a swolen dixiecrat bent on hate and destuction of our grand, solem soil that is the United States of America.

i think democrates are better beacause they care about nature!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I can't stand it! I am when its my turn voting for Edwards. Listening to all the analysts and so forth, they totally wrote Edwards off before anything was decided tonight which really made me crazy. Then when he was ahead they kept saying he was behind which he wasn't kept making it out to be a two way race when it was clearly a three way crap shoot!

I think (hope) that the NH voters see this evenings fiasco and bring Edwards a win and it snow balls into victory at the convention and a landslide in November. My only absolute solution to the problem we're faced with as Democrats is to find a way for Gore to jump in and save us! But we didn't do our job in 2004 or 2000 and I think we lost probably one of the best. That being said, redundantly- I know, Edwards is the clear choice. He's clearly stated his plans for healthcare, iraq, and just about every other subject. He's proven he can't be bought because he won't accept anything from corporate or other similar groups. He's shown that a campaign can be run and still be effective without obscene amounts of money.

He's a deep breathe of fresh air after the acid rain we've been in for the past 7 + years! Edwards '08!

++++++++++We Don't Want Hillary++++++++++++++

I dont like rep. but im sure they will win in 306 days from now!

What's up with the AMERICAN FLAG on the floor at Hillary's campaign headquarters? Did anyone catch a glimpse of that? Was she under it?

Mike Longview, TX January 3, 2008 10:50 pm ET

Hillary didn't need Iowa.
She will win NH and all the big delegate states.
Iowa is only 1% of the nation's population.
Hillary is still going to win this thing!!

Mike -> I agree with your comments. Her Royal Thighness will be the Duhmocratic nominee. She and Rudy are backend loaded with the big states to come. Well done, Obama, really well done, but it won't matter unless HRT really crashes and burns in NH and SC .......

Lesson from Iowa 2008

Voters will turn out in droves to vote against Clinton!

in re: Bob Simmons' pronouncement Sen. Obama would lose in Nov. because he is Black....
pronouncements are easy. try these:
1. it is a new day in America; the under 40's just really do not care about "race".
2. under 40's are turning out this year and they're voting 60+% Democrat
3. "W" and Cheney and the rest of the bobber-barons have assured the next few generations of American elections will be won by Democrats.

If Obama wins the nomination, I might just have to vote for Guiliani...this from a lifelong Democrat.

TIME TO PASS THE TORCH!! We need a new family running our country. 24 years is ENOUGH! Out with the Bushes AND the Clintons!

I feel Obama cares about people more than anybody.

How many people do you know that were Head of the Harvard Law Review, and as a job helped the poor?

Barack Obama did.

He is a great man. A professor, a state and US legislator, and Illinois loves him.

Alex – Bill Clinton was personable and charming – Hillary isn't. She isn't coming back from this.

With 98% reporting, there is not a tie although it is close between Clinton and Edwards. It's Obama 38%, Edwards 30% and Clinton 29%.

Clinton really did come in third.

Kylie: Let me tell YOU something. Bill Clinton put 0 effort in Iowas in 1992 and got about 3%. Hilllary ran hard.and spent a lot of time and money....and finished 3rd. Not very inspiring.

Embarrassed by the lack of committment on any of the candidates on gay issues!
Canada has same-sex marriage and continues to be one of the most progressive countries on earth in which to live! Shame on all the Democratic candidates who continue to waffle on the issue! Gay Democrats are Very Disappointed!

Great job Democrats on the ballot to day. Obama has this thing.

dems are doing it to themselves again, going with the nicer, safer, more deferential candidate as opposed to the won who will fight. Obama's run away from every important vote he ever had to make. we're serving him up to the lions of the republican machine and forfeiting the white house – again.

Hillary in '12.

**************But************

We Don't Want Hillary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ticket shall be BARACK/Edwards, EDWARDS/BARACK !!!

I would love to have a woman President, but I feel at this time, we need
RAMROD PASSION for the job at hand. No vascillating, NO BS. I feel these
two fellas will do the job. If not, they will hear from us all.

Bring our industries that are going to BE GREEN home!!! No one actually tells
the truth about how really many unemployed there are in areas where factories.
manufacturing companies have closed. It has to devastate entire villages.

WE NEED TO HAVE IT FIXED!!!! Please-FIND THE FACTS AND GET THE
PROMISES that will be upheld.!!!!!!

Hey, let's don't let one small caucus decide on our next President, OK? Yes, it's a caucasian state, farmers, mostly conservative or conservative Democrats. But don't count out Hillary and Bill......two for one, and the one has eight years of slugging it out with a Congress who fought him on every issue not to mention the press who put him on every barbeque spit they could find...to no avail. Now, look at what we have. True, Obama, Edwards, or Clinton would be a welcome and hopeful change for America. We have been under the Reagan, Cheney, Rove, and Sr. and Jr. Bush's for so long, we've lost our way and the world wonders if we've also lost our minds.

No matter which Democrat wins the election, it will be one thousand times better than the crooks who've been our imperial "wizards" for war, war mongering, corruption, and pumping up the rich to pay little or no taxes, along with the war machine's big campaign contributors to those who reward them with hideously overpaid contracts. We need to get out of Iraq as bad as we needed to get out of Nam. We've made enemies we can only hope will forgive our ignorance and isolationism in the future. But probably most of all, we need to get fair, abundant, and all for one health care and social programs we've been doing without for far too many years.

Be warned. This year's turnout of progressive Democrats and people who are completely fed up will come out no matter what the weather. For Lou Dobbs, I'd like to mention that Arizona will be his test of "no tolerance" for the Mexican workers who cross the border to help their families at their own peril. Also, Lou has been commisserating with the middle class and their taxes and no health care, but he's never been for the middle class before. Maybe he's seen some light, but his phobia against the same illegals as his forefathers who came as welcome laborers in America a hundred or two hundred years ago will be his undoing. Finally, it's purely amazing that all of a sudden, after forty years of calling us boomers who railed at the waste and pollution of the world have become the middle and upper classes, some still with long hair and beards, beads, and deep compassion for one's fellow man and this planet's future. Unbelievable that it only took forty years with most developing countries one upping us in the "green" dept. by miles. Hey, maybe a woman or a black man....or a man who cares about health care for all will be our next President.....watch for that one!. .

I won't vote for Obama if he wins the nomination. I am already sick of hearing about this being a victory for African Americans. This is about experience and qualifications...not Oprah!!!

GO OBAMA!!!! THIS ALABAMIAN WILL SUPPORT YOU UNTIL THE END!!!!

The latest results show Clinton coming in third! I think John Edwards sums it up best, this is an election where the voters want change. Mike Huckabee won the Republican vote, not because he is an Evangelical, but because he is calling for an end to outsourcing, an end to foreign guest workers like all those Indian and Chinese engineers and programmers taking jobs from American's, and an end to free trade. This, essentially, is the same message being delivered by Barak Obama and John Edwards – put American's first. Furthermore, all three are decent, honest people with a message of hope. Now, I happen to like John Edwards best, but I would be delighted to vote for Barak Obama or, in the case of an eventual Clinton candidacy, Mike Huckabee. Its a great day! This country can see an end to bleeding jobs, an end to the falling dollar, an end to corporate excesses, an end to disasterous foreign ventures, and an end to the policies that divide us as a people.

Congratulations to all of the candidates and the people of Iowa. Who would want to go through with all this drudgery?
It's important to remember this is only the first step; there's much more to follow. Clinton will dig deep to turn it around (remember her husband 'the comeback kid'?) and she leads the polls in a few very big states, states much larger than Iowa. But Obama is going to have a big boost from this and gain huge momentum.
I doubt Huckabee can prevail without money and organization, and he won't find those same rural conservatives in New York and California.

This is exactly why Iowa should not kick off the primaries. I'm not really all that shocked that Obama and Huckabee will win their respective parties caucases. In reality though neither one will ultimately win their party's nomination. I don't see Huckabee winning in the long run for the sheer fact his foreign policy blunders make him seem even more inept than Bush. Although he is a social conservative he is not a fiscal conservative and eventually his record in Arkansas will catch up with him. For democrats I really don't like Obama or Edwards. I find Edwards more genuine, but if I'm going to criticize Obama's foreign policy experience I have to call out Edwards for it too. There is much to be done domestically (social security, immigration, healthcare, and overhauling that ridiculous No Child Left Behind Act to name some), but there is simply too much taking place on the international stage to elect one-term senators who are generally out-of-touch with what is taking place on the world stage. Hillary Clinton has nearly 8 years experience in the Senate. She has spent two terms in the White House as First Lady alongside a president I feel did much to better this country. Come the end of February I believe she will be the democrats nominee for president (and as long as I'm making prediction I'll say right now lookout for a McCain comeback). Truthfully I'd be happy with either one of them in the White House. I think once we have a few primaries in states more reflective of where the country as a whole thats the way it will shake out anyway. In any event I hope Obama and Huckabee are soaking it up because there is no doubt in my mind it won't last....

I agree with Young Iowa Caucus-goer. The numbers of people out caucusing tonight are staggering. No matter who won, the fact that these candidates can get this many people, of ALL ages, out to caucus for them, is remarkable. A caucus is a time consuming event for the democrats. When over 250,000 people give up over 3 hours of their night for something that "doesn't count," that shows just how much these candidates have given to us. They are all respectable.

Congratulations, Obama! Am proud to be a supporter!

Edwards is on to something, and he needs to go with it!......It is TIME TO PASS THE TORCH!! Out with the Bushes and the Clintons!

So much for inevitable. Let us all hope that this is the beginning of the end for Hillary. Thank you Iowa.

Anybody but Hillary in 2008.

Hillary didn't need Iowa.
She will win NH and all the big delegate states.
Iowa is only 1% of the nation's population.
Hillary is still going to win this thing!!

Here's a list of previous Iowa Caucus winners vs. Actual Party Nominees

1980
Iowa: George Bush (R), Jimmy Carter (D)
US: Ronald Reagan (R), Jimmy Carter (D)

1984
Iowa: Ronald Reagan (R) (no Republican Caucus), Walter Mondale (D)
US: Ronald Reagan (R), Walter Mondale (D)

1988
Iowa: Bob Dole (R), Richard Gephardt (D)
US: George Bush (R), Michael Dukakis (D)

1992
Iowa: George Bush (R) (no Republican Caucus), Tom Harkin (D)
US: George Bush (R), Bill Clinton (D)

1996
Iowa: Bob Dole (R), Bill Clinton (D) (no Democratic Caucus)
US: Bob Dole (R), Bill Clinton (D)

2000
Iowa: George W. Bush (R), Al Gore (D)
US: George W. Bush (R), Al Gore (D)

2004
Iowa: George W. Bush (R) (no Republican Caucus), John Kerry (D)
US: George W. Bush (R), John Kerry (D)

Tyler, you are a perfect example of what happens when someone tries to teach a red neck how to write.

The Iowa voters did a good day's work and they should be proud.

Hey JUAN, I've told you this before. His name is Obama not Osama not binLaden and obviously there were a lot of people in Iowa who don't care that his parents gave him the middle name of Hussein.

Check out the rest of the candidates. Most did not serve in the military.

And Tyler – whatever.

Iowa is a very very white state. And Iowa voted for Obama, not because he is black, but because of his message. It is my sincere hope that this country will not let race be a deciding factor in voting. I am sure that if he is the nominee, the Repubs will make race or his name a huge part of their dirty campaign.

THANK YOU IOWA!!!

Lourdes January 3, 2008 10:01 pm ET

"Democrats are doomed. They are framing Obama's victory in a black/white paradigm that has, in the past, only served to evoke ethnic loyalty."

Your comment seems very racist..Obama never plays the race card and he just won in Iowa which is only 2.3% African American. The only people who make a big deal about his race are the people like you who are afraid of someone other than a white male being elected president...I know it just burns you up inside that an Afircan American man has a chance to become president.

Let me tell you something....

1976...Cater did not win Iowa
1980 Regan did not win Iowa..
1988 ...Bush did not win Iowa
1992 ...Clinton did not win Iowa..

We have to stop going to that stupid tiny little, predominantly white state...full of Evangelical Christians that hate Evolutions.

Word on the ground is a lot of them voted for Obama as the ultimate spoiler but will Vote Republican in the Fall...

Well of course, this begs the question as to whiter Bloomberg?

Brilliant. Congrats Iowa your brilliant. Let's hope other states follow your example. Hope motivates people more strongly than anything else and Obama has loads of it.

Who cares what Obama's or anyone else's military record is? There are many ways to serve your country. Obama is a man of the people. The negativity shown by Mr Velez-Deya has no place in this election. I think that Iowan's proved that this evening. I also think that Minnesota shares more than a border with them.

America, tonight you showed that there is hope for this troubled country! Thank you Iowa!

I hate to say it, but so many people are right-unfortunately, America will not elect a black man as President. Too many people still maintaining their mental midget mentalities. I think that Obama is charismatic, but very low on substance. Has he spoken with any specifics about how he will fix the mess that this repub prez has gotten us in to? Didn't we already suffer enough with an inexperienced person (in W's case, idiot) in the WH? Can we stand to stumble again? Still can't quite get my arms around Huckabee's belief that women should be submissive to men (hmmmm.....I wonder how comments this will stir up).

I would like to say something on behalf of all the young Iowans who caucused tonight:

The reason we all turned out is because we finally found a candidate who has inspired us to get involved in the political process. We found someone with compassion and energy who can lead a nation and change the world.

GO BARACK!!!

It is time to take responsibility for the enviroment!!!

Edwards did not congratulate Obama or recognize the other candidates. Came on and yelled at us again. Not very gracious!...BTW he lost the Union vote, so put another fork in him!

While Race is still a very big issue Obama can win and his victory will finally seal the deal on how we, as a country view race; I look forward to it.

Furthermore, Edwards v. Obama, or even with Obama, will hopefully be a move away from Rubin.

Well Edwards winning 2nd is big news.... Hillary winning second is just sad. But looks like she will get third, which shows Iowa is tired of the Clinton/Bush monarchy and hopefully the rest of America is too.

How many times will Hillary cram the word "change" into every speech? A little too late for that CHANGE Hillary, stop flip flopping and poll hopping and just say who you are. Maybe then you will pick up more votes.

I am still hoping for Ron Paul, but I will take Obama as a good 2nd choice.

Way to go, Obama. This Republican will vote for you if Rudy or Huckabee get the nomination.

i am delighted to see the clinton "juggernaut" derailed, at least temporarily, tonight. if there was to be a coronation, im glad i didnt get my invitation prematurely, as apparently some hollywood folks did. if nothing else, this should prove to the clinton's that not all of america is as enamored with their smugness and arrongance as they are. this is hopefully the beginning of a new era of confident, compassionate and competent leadership, with senator obama at the tiller.
when he speaks of change, it is clear he also speaks of exorcising the clinton specter as well as the bush horrors. lets get on with it now.

I am so glad that it is all over!
I mean , entire election 2008. It is all done and decided for us by few thousand people in Iowa!
Brings bussiness to Des Moines, make them feel important, I suppose. Otherwise, what difference does it make for the rest of the county?

The whole Iowa thing is so overrated! When was the last time a first place winner in Iowa went on to win the presidency? Iowa is NOT a microcosm of the United States. It's just a bunch of corn farmers who want to safeguard a process – that crazy caucus – for the sake of having some recognition in the electorial process. Where is Iowa anyway? Huckabee or Obama? I hardly think so! Super Tuesday is the turning point for all the candidates and neither Huckabee nor Obama will be able to lay claim to being the front runner coming out of Super Tuesday. The rest of the nation needs to get a grip and certainly not follow any lead coming out of Iowa.

did anyone question the state of the enviroment?

Clinton is the candidate with the most to hurdle, including media bias against her. She stood by her husband when their private married life was used for political drama. She abides by people's sentiments, but does not bend to please media. She is honestly tough. Obama is a glib talker. That does not necessarily always translate to candor. The Bush administration governed by semantics, and the people were duped.

I too am a white registered Republican. Barack Obama is a political messiah. He is a healer not a divider. Obama sees the need to move beyond the Boomer-led partisanship that has been plaguing politics for many years. The other Democrat candidates should do the honorable thing and step aside.

The first paragraph of this story is very poorly written.

So it's been 30 min. and Hilliary is all over her staff for screwing up and not recognizing the 2nd choice vote. Wow nice!

Not my fault!

Did you use the enviroment as one of your camaign issues?

It's funny how many people say that Barack can't win. Well, he won tonight. I think reality proves he can, your bias is showing.

The U S is not quite ready for a woman president or an african american president at this time. The world situation for America at this time is not the best time to experiment. The worlds leaders that object to the united states and it's policies is not prone to a Woman as a leader, look at the results of the Bush experience with Condi Rice trying to deal with our opponents male dominated countries . She has been a complete failure in trying to deal with men of other cultures whose culture is a lot older than ours. Obama is an extremely attractive and knowledgeable candidate, however he is not ready at this young age to deal with US problems with older world leaders who would look at him as young inexperienced person that they could take advantage of at this stage of his political life. The best assurance's of this Iowa caucuses is that the Democrats will finally be able to return to the White House and care all Americans and not just the wealthy and private interests.

Tyler– use spell check on "truely" and "anylist." Lourdes, I'm afraid I agree with you. And then again, the woman-hating has never been quite subtle with Clinton on the hill, either. It's well known that Republican lawmakers in Washington secretly have a lot of respect for her because she gets things done. Obama's anti-establishment campaign is just a campaign, and like any politician will have to work politically to get things done.

Nominate Hillary for Prresident. She is the best qualified, the smartest, and the best

On what grounds is it true that "John Edwards is neck-and-neck with Clinton for second place"? At NO POINT tonight has Clinton been ahead of Edwards. Why is CNN insisting it's a tie when the numbers show (and have shown) differently? And hmm...what did the CNN entrance polls say about Edwards? Something about trailing Obama and Clinton?

Obama destroyed everyone in Iowa City. City wide he was running at 65%+.

And NO ONE from any other candidate went over to Hillary. Edwards was by far the #2 choice.

She is toast in NH with all the independents.

Game over. Fork time.

Why is Iowa so important? DIdn't Dean win in 2004 and Edwards took second, but the third place finisher Kerry ended up winning the nomination? Weird, huh? So why doesn't the winner get all of the delegates? I noticed that all of the candidates received delegates based on their percentages of votes won. Oh well, I learned something new about the process. I bet the people of Iowa are glad this is over.

"while Richards came in second with 20 percent."

That's RICHARDSON!!!

As everyone comments on the results in Iowa, I'm curious to know which candidates won Iowa in past election cycles vs. which candidates went on to actually win their respective party nominations for president. (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004)

Well it looks like this is the end of the Hillary campaign–a third place finish is awful. Guess I will not be voting this year. I am certainly not voting for someone like Obama and I am definitely not voting Republican. Maybe there will be some appealing third-party candidates...

I HAVE CONCLUDED TO VOTE REPUBLICAN,,,NO ONE HAS MENTIONED OBAMA BINLADENS MILITARY RECORD,, DID HE SERVE??????

did obama only get 980 votes and huckabee got 32,000 votes?

i was very surprised that Clinton did not take Iowa, but us CLinton supporters must keep going, remember, Bill lost Iowa caucuses too, and he still made President!!!Go HILLARY!!!

Obama was no doubt a favorite among change seekers and the young people and so its no surprise! Iowans have shown the way to the forthcoming elections! May the best candidate win the next presidency !

I have not made up my mind yet but I want to comment on the analysts on CNN Live right now. In their discussion of how big a win this is over Clinton they made a very sexist comment as to "how would you like to be Bill this evening". Even the black woman laughed at this. Would they even think to say something like that about Edwards or any of the other second place candidates. No, it is the male paradigm that our society still lives in. Shame on all of them – and I have not made up my mind as to who I will vote for. It is important to remember that this is only Iowa – remember that others who have been elected (Bill Clinton) did not win in Iowa. I also agree w/ Lourdes comment.

BARACK OBAMA CANNOT WIN:

I can almost absolutely guarantee that if Barack Obama gets the nomination, it will mean FOUR MORE years of republicans in office.

Barack Obama is black. America WILL NOT vote a black man into the presidency. Do you really think that the undecided voters in the swing states like Ohio, Missouri, and FLORIDA are going to vote for the BLACK GUY over the WHITE GUY?? Of COURSE they're not.

If you vote for Obama, you're saying you want four more years of republicans in orifice.

Thanks Iowa. You've once again handed te election over to the GOP. Clinton was our only chance. Way to go.

So,

All I hear is that the economy will he the big factor & it looks again that a Dem will be elected to fix it...Now, the real question is; once the dems fix it again, will we lose sight and be conned into voting for the economic superstar GoP again??

Let's not be fooled again folks...The GoP is nothing but the party of reactionary, fear-mongering folks...

Why do we keep thinking that the GoP is better at managing anything??

Um....yeah.....OK, Tyler.....whatever.

This was a fantastic night for the Democrats. A record turnout bodes well for the party in the general election. We have three strong candidates to select from. That is a good thing. We need to have them test each other, because we need to nominate the one who is best at competing, so that we send the best campaigner up against the Republicans. Good luck to all three candidates. Let us treat them all with respect, and now on to New Hampshire.

I thought they said the whites will not vote for a black candiate, but from to night, I see why America is a GREAT nation, elections here are like no other and that my friends must not be forgotten. Good night..

Tyler, you should have put the word retaking in quotes. Everyone knows by now that Bush didn't win Florida.

I can't beleive these iidiots voted for Obama. I hope HRC will comeback in NH otherwise it will be another lost presidential year for Dems and those Iowa farmers will bite their elbows once gain. Aother liberal idiocy whenideology i more important than pragmatsm!

you gotta love the Clintons... of course the cable companies were capitalizing this weekend playing "primary colors" over and over... as my dearest friends from the west side would say... clintons fo life!

So can we finally admit that the ARG poll which predicted a huge Clinton win sucks?

I'm not sure why folks/pundits are surprised with Hillary's finish. Top 3 is what it takes. Iowans have never supported women for the top finisher .. . Woman governor? Not in Iowa. Women Congresspersons? Not in Iowa. Iowa still thinks that women should be in a supporting role. Not good, but the reality.

Obviously Democrats are voting for the candidate, and NOT for the presidential seat. If we push Obama, then we push failure when the national battle over independents begins. Obama is a fantastic man and great speaker who has been able to rouse the young voters to caucus, but that will not fly when the general election presents its bigger issues. This country is still wildly racist in many areas. I, like most normal people, abhor that characteristic, but it exists. We need to elect a democrat into the presidential seat to gain power and kick out the radical religious-led big business morons that have no sensibility when it comes to REAL people and their REAL problems. It is time to put someone to battle that will become a VIABLE candidate. I'm sorry, but that just happens to be a caucasian male from the south. I speak candidly, but with honest truth. Stop listening to propaganda. Listen to reality.

By the way… all of the defectors from the Richardson group came over to Edwards (in my ward). Ha.

You know, if Hillary is "all about experience," then this is an experience many of us are delighted to see her have.

My goodness, Obama and Huckabee....I think Iowa just lost thier credibility as this just isn't going to happen as the way I see niether one can win the election.

One other thing we should all remember no matter how much th e18 to 24 year olds beat their drum they never seem to bother to use their vote in the actual election.

Nice coverage though,

Margaret
California

The Clinton debacle started back at her birthday party/coronation in the fall. Prior to that people thought she was arrogant. After, they knew she was. Invincible? I think not.

Bill Schneider is the most liberal television news reporter in the industry. It is truely sickening to watch this "political anylist" at work. The Bush election in 2004 was great, just to watch Bill Schneider curdle. Also, Schneiders hilarious reaction to Bush retaking Florida in 00' was memorable.

I think electability should be the focus of the remaining primary voters rather than these nebulous terms like "change" or "Christian".
Also, the 800 pound gorilla issue will be the economy. The American electorate needs to develop a big picture mentality.

As a white registered republican, should Obama win the nomination for the democrats, I will not vote party lines. Obama will have my vote. Color is not a factor.

I am and will continue to be to the last moment a Clinton supporter.

But I will vote Democratic when it all washes out.

It's no battle. Edwards was projected to not do well and yet he was leading in the early counting – sometimes by a large margin.

Hillary Clinton is third rate and third place.

Iowans are very smart. congratulations Iowans.

Democrats are doomed. They are framing Obama's victory in a black/white paradigm that has, in the past, only served to evoke ethnic loyalty.

Obama will never win a "Red" state as a "Black" candidate. Media reporters and Obama supporters alike need to be aware of the subtle message that comes from their "victory" for African Americans.