Race Heating Up In Frozen Iowa

With Clinton And Obama At Nearly A Dead Heat, Fickle Iowa Voters In Spotlight For Next Month

(CBS)  The heat is on in frozen Iowa.

“After eight years of incompetence, they don't want false hopes - they want real results. That's the way we'll get back on the right track,” said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., on the campaign trail.

Among the Democratic leaders, the race is a toss-up. Residents of Iowa are aware that four years ago John Kerry closed a huge gap in polls in one month. Monday, Clinton went on the offense, CBS News anchor Harry Smith reports for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

“I don't think people want a lot of talk about change,” Clinton said. “I think they want someone with a real record, a doer, not a talker.”

Even though the Des Moines register says he’s in the lead, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., could barely break a smile.

“Listen, when everybody said I was a washed-up has-been - I didn't pay attention then, and I don't pay attention to this,” Obama said.

Clinton is paying attention though to her support among women. One poll shows it's faltering.

But the man of the hour is Arkansas's former governor Mike Huckabee. Huckabee is an ordained Baptist minister and has connected big-time with evangelical Christians, the most powerful force among Iowa Republicans.

“Having been a pastor, it helped shape me in understanding the real issues that people face because nobody sees humanity up front and closer than does a pastor,” Huckabee told The Early Show.

Huckabee is driving home the message he’s a Christian leader - a not-so-subtle reminder that his opponent Mitt Romney is a Mormon.

“I'm not running for pastor in chief. I'm running for commander in chief,” Romney said.

Iowa voters are notorious late deciders. And they’re fickle, too.

With 31 days to go, and half the voters undecided, the fun has just begun.

von_marko,

You raised two questions. Why Obama? And why does your daughter want a democrat in the White House (I will attribute the bin Laden reference to sarcasm)?

First the latter, young people are very critical of policies that are not clearly logical. Poltically-conscience students look for principled-- almost systematic-- leaders that embody the lessons they have been taught in school. That is, youngsters that are learning to develop a persuasive essay are upset by faulty justifications for the Iraq war and the arrogant dismissal of global warming concerns by the Bush administration. In a since, youngsters are just that: too young to know that the world is not always well-explained or even logical. Heck maybe they are right, have old people have become too jaded?

Your second question, why Obama, in part follows from the previous. Obama''s intellect appeals to young voters. But more generally, I think Democrats present Obama as a truce. In 2004, John Kerry was promoted as the anti-bush, and he lost because Republicans (especially the moderates) were unwilling to completely change presidents. I think Dems hope that Barak (for all his talk) can be a middle-of-the-road uniter that 1) will prevent another 4 years of unyielding right wings, and 2) usher a more friendly debate between all Americans.

Hope this helps.

- Chris

[prinzowhales]

The entire Democratic ticket save Dennis Kucinich and Gravel are New World Order shills who support the Establishment and--like the 9-11 Commission--are complicit by their silence on the matter in the coverup of the crimes of 9-11.

Former Italian President Corriga, one of the most respected heads of state in Italian history, has said point blank that Mossad and the CIA ran the attacks on America of 9-11-2001 in which 3,000 Americans were murdered with more dying every day as the first responders succumb to the after-effects of this savage CIA-Mossad attack on Americans.

President Corriga was responsible for revealing the existence of OPERATION GLADIO in which American?NATO agents committed acts of violence culminating in the attack on the Bologna station in which dozens were killed in order to discredit the Left.

http://www.infowars.com/articles/sept11/cossiga_ex_italian_pres_intel_agencies_know_911_inside_job.htm

Down with the traitorous Neo-Con Regime and the AIPAC nest of spies!

[prinzowhales]

"...eight years of incompetence,..." deary? YOU supported the war--and still do...you have opposed impeachment and so has the real estate thieves Pelosi and Reid....You''ve passed on the appropriations for the war...Your husband got response for the war his war against Yugoslavia which you championed...and the War Pigs profited handsomely from it...and many of them support you, as do many from the AIPAC spy nest.

[bombadil4]

It''s odd to say the least that although John Edwards is also within this statistical "dead heat" in Iowa, he gets very little press compared to Clinton and Obama. Whether this is just more of the usual press laziness and incompetence, or something else is in play, it''s difficult to say.

[idlepugilist]

von marko, have you spoken with Osama lately to pick up the fact that he''s campaigning for Democrats? I hear Hillary and Barack are both taking money under the table from Osama in the Lincoln bedroom. Check with your teenage daughter again. There''s a difference between leading America, and leading America down several God-forsaken paths as Bush has. Check with George''s father, too. George HW Bush said he didn''t want to attack Saddam because doing so would destabilize the middle east, alienate our allies and create a need for massive military presence with no exit strategy possible. Why couldn''t the son take a hint from the old man?

[idlepugilist]

avraamjack, the link you provided gives us a look at someone''s opinion, no facts to substantiate, and trying to tie Hillary to an action allegedly taken by Bill. I suppose you also want me to believe it was Hillary''s idea for Bill to meet with Monica? Weak, frameless circumstanital lack of evidence. But a good storyline for the NRO someday.

[von_marko]

Obama? Just curious, why? Seriously, other than hating Bush, what do Democrats want? I have never been able to understand why my teenage daughter and Osama Bin Laden both want Democrats to lead America. Please educate me cause I just don''t get it!!!!!!!!

[idlepugilist]

Some men fear the concept of a woman President. Particularly with a name like Clinton, made to resemble a pincushion thanks to the endless witch hunts of 1992-2000. And now Hillary is such a meany, why can''t she just be like other moms and take the endless onslaught of abuse by other contenders without responding in kind? Hillary, how dare you have a voice? There are some men in America who just want you to shut up. Kind of like their Muslim counterparts over in Bush country near Pakistan.

[avraamjack]

It is possible that Senator Clinton is the best candidate. However, even though many may like the policies that Senator Clinton proposes, they should also consider her record, just as Senator Clinton insists.
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The last Clinton Administration, when faced with the fact that protection rackets where assaulting, torturing and murdering people with poison and radiation, chose to avoid its responsibilities to incarcerate the criminals and to protect the citizenry.
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Instead, they made a deal with the criminal gang stalker protection rackets to leave them alone and to consequently abandon the citizenry.
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Do we want a President who sells out the citizenry for votes?
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Do we want a President who sends a "crime does pay" message to society?
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Would you vote for a President who signed nonaggression deals with the KKKlan or the Nazi party? Gangs that torture with poison and radiation are much like the KKKlan and Nazi Party.
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We do not need a sellout President. We need a principled leader President.
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If you are one of the few who do not know what the above refers to, do a web search for %u201Cgang stalking%u201D to see the tip of the dirtberg. Please do it before you decide to reply to my post. Here let me make it easy for you: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22gang+stalking%22.
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[sharhut]

Please mr.Obama be straight with the American. You are sounding as sleeze ss has mr.Bushie Babe for the last seven years or does it run the family as Mr.Chenney ?