Meanwhile Republicans Inwardly Cringe and Hillary Starts Chewing Her Nails
BBSNews 2008-01-03 -- Barack Obama has won the Iowa caucus in the Democrats race for the nomination for US president and the firebrand evangelical Republican candidate Mike Huckabee bested Mitt Romney. The Clinton camp is scheduled to get on a plane for Iowa at midnight. New Hampshire is a must-win for her, a win for Obama in New Hampshire would be devastating for Hillary Clinton's ambitions for the White House.
This will likely be the high water mark for North Carolina's John Edwards, even with tonight's second place in the Iowa caucus, although even at that Edwards won't be left in too bad of a place for a future run. And Rudolph Giuliani needs to get really lucky in New Hampshire or he is likely toast.
Traditional Republicans, low taxes, strong defense, little government and separation between church and state, have been uneasy over Mike Huckabee's poll numbers; now they must be mortified at the thought of a general election between Huckabee and Obama.
Clinton may be able to muster the hate vote for Republicans who cannot stand anything even remotely Clintonian, but they would have a tough time moving that same sentiment against Barack Obama (except for the minority of Republicans still believing in the well-known Southern maxim regarding the Confederate Battle flag: "It's heritage not hate." And then there's those real doozies who are complaining that Obama might have been raised a Muslim, as if that is a bad thing.)
In any case, the Iowa vote has left the field on both sides jolted. Hillary Clinton must win New Hampshire or face being trampled by Obama's fresh message and his staunch opposition to the US War on Iraq. The Republicans need for another more pliable candidate, one that does not have any empathy for Hispanic migrant workers and their children, and who is a little more war-mongering, will no doubt become more apparent as the negative gloves really come off as they go after someone from their own party.
Now the race for the White House is truly on.
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