Candidates Begin Final Push In Iowa

Appeals More Urgent, Rhetoric More Pointed As The Caucuses Are Just A Week Away

(CBS/AP)  The most wide-open presidential race in a half century pushed unpredictably into a decisive new phase Wednesday, the rhetoric a bit more pointed and the appeals a tad more urgent in the final run-up to the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

"This is crunch time," said former Democratic Sen. John Edwards, and he spoke for all.

In a race without front-runners, a brief Christmas lull yielded quickly in both early-voting states to a new round of subtle digs, outright criticism, fresh TV ads and stepped-up efforts by independent organizations.

Forty percent of Iowa's voters are still undecided, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod. Iowans traditionally make up their minds very late - and it looks this year will be no exception.

"It's closing time in Iowa and anyone who says they know who will emerge as winners eight days from now needs to be checked for post-eggnog distress syndrome," CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs said. "The easy part is identifying the candidates and reciting the messages they've woven over a year of speeches, debates and ads. Now comes the hard part - closing the sale among those voters who will show up at the caucuses on January 3rd." (Read more from Ververs in Horserace)

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, surprise leader in the Republican pre-caucus polls, bagged an Iowa pheasant with a .12-gauge shotgun and said caucus-goers on Jan. 3 should take notice.

"Maybe it will show that I certainly understand the culture of being outdoors," he said. It was a not-so-subtle jab at his leading rival in the state, Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor once proclaimed himself a lifelong hunter, but later conceded he had shot only "small varmints" and did not have a gun or a hunting license.

Romney's political quarry for the day was Arizona Sen. John McCain, seemingly staging a comeback in New Hampshire. Romney accused his rival of flip-flops on immigration and tax cuts.

"The point is that under his bill, that he fought for, everybody who came here illegally could stay forever. And does he still believe that or does he not believe that?" Romney said on a radio program from New Hampshire.

"And likewise on taxation. He said, well now he's for making the Bush tax cuts permanent. Well, does he admit he was wrong in voting against them before?

McCain responded quickly.

"I know something about tailspins, and it's pretty clear Mitt Romney is in one," said the former front-runner. "It's disappointing that he would launch desperate, flailing and false attacks in an attempt to maintain relevance."

In the short term, the Republican race has become a pair of separate but connected two-man campaigns in early states. In Iowa, Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, is counting on the support of evangelical Christians to deliver a victory over Romney, who has spent millions in the state.

McCain is not mounting a significant effort in Iowa, but his hopes in New Hampshire - where he won the primary eight years ago - depend heavily on the outcome. A Huckabee victory, McCain's aides say, would put their man in much better position to defeat Romney in the first primary five days later.

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By contrast, the Democratic race over the next eight days shapes up as a three-way fight for Iowa among Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton and Edwards, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee. It's unlikely that Edwards, in particular, could sustain a loss in the first contest, particularly since he's been campaigning there virtually since the last election.

Obama was first among the leading contenders into the state after the holiday, renewing a campaign-long attempt to cast himself as an agent of change while trying to pre-empt Edwards' attacks on special interests in Washington.

At every turn, Obama reminded his Iowans that it’s time for them to make up their minds, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.

"Don’t let this opportunity slip away," he said.

Obama's drawing power was undimmed by the two-day Christmas layoff. He turned empty halls into packed auditoriums and laid out his case for changing Washington, while mocking his political rivals who says have picked up the same pitch.

Without naming Clinton, he said, "We're told that the lobbyists and the special interests, it's inevitable that they run things, and so the best you can do is to find somebody who knows how to work the system in Washington. ...

"That's essentially the argument that's being made in these last seven days. Don't try something different because that's going to be too risky. You don't know what you might get."

Later in the day, Obama blamed negative advertising and mail sent by unnamed opponents for planting "seeds of doubt" about him.

"That's how Washington typically reacts to change," he said.

The former first lady campaigned with her husband by her side, opening a final-week sprint with remarks designed to blunt Obama and Edwards.

"Some believe you can get change by demanding it, and some believe you can get change by hoping for it," she said in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. "I believe you can get change by working really, really hard for it."

"And I think it takes strength and experience to be able to make change in our political system," she said. "We don't have any time to waste."

Edwards was in Conway, N.H., where he had a succinct appeal.

"You'd better choose someone as your candidate who's ready for this battle. Nice words will not change anything," he said.

Several campaigns unveiled new television commercials during the day, including Edwards, Clinton and McCain, who was going on the air for the first time in South Carolina. (Watch campaign ads on CBSNews.com)

The Alliance for a New America, a pro-Edwards group with ties to his 2004 campaign manager, began airing a commercial in Iowa, and the Club for Growth, a conservative group, announced it would devote additional funds to criticizing Huckabee in Iowa.

Independent records showed Obama had committed to the most Iowa advertising spending of any Democrat, about $7.5 million so far. A spokesman said the Illinois Democrat was being outspent, though, when the efforts of independent groups were figured in. Clinton, a New York senator, has the support of union groups.

Among Republicans, Romney's $5.2 million spent on ads dwarfs all others, raising his prospects but also the stakes if he should lose to an underfunded Huckabee.

[kansas1946]

Well, from scanning through the posts here, I can see that everyone is getting nervous about Obama judging from the silly attacks. He is a wonderful candidate so expect the attacks to intensify. Edwards is also a great candidate and will probably do well in Iowa. The poor Republicans have the worst line up I can ever remember, and I am old!

[samthetvcat]

"I think John Edwards may perform much better than anybody expects in Iowa. And in New Hampshire. Just a hunch."
Posted by mrmazerati

Yeah, my prediction for Iowa is:
1. Edwards
2. Clinton
3. Obama

That''s based on strongest base and behind the scenes politicking. If outcome were based on popular vote, then I''d have said:

1. Obama
2. Edwards
3. Clinton

Shows you what a close race it is . . .

[hillary4sout]

BETTER HILLARY THAN A LIEING BIGOT LIKE OBAMA AN HIS RACEST WIFE OK NO BIGOTS IN THE WHITEHOUSE WHITE OR BLACK ..... IF YOU ARE A OBAMA SUPPORT TODAY BE 4 I LOL @ YOU FOR YOUR SUPPPORT OF HIM .. READ WHAT HIS WIFE SAID ABOUT WHITE FOLKS IN THE HALKEYE STATE LOL YOU ARE SO FUNNY FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF HIM, OK I GOT TO TELL YALL THEN, SHE SAID " IF WE LIVED OUT HERE WE (HER AN OBAMA) WOULD NEED A GUN" LOL WHY A GUN YOU WHITE FOLKS GONNA GET HIM OR SOMETHING LOL YOU ARE SO FUNNY OK NOW STOP THE FEAR OF REAL CHANGE AN GET BEHIND HILLARY YOU SEE THAT ALL CHANGE IS NOT GOOD CHANGE NOW IS IT, DONT CRY OK WE LOVE YOU STILL JUST GET BEHIND HILLARY LIKE MOST DEMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT SUPPORT OUR NEXT PRESIDENT OK WE ARE NOT MAD WE JUST WAS WAITING ON YOU ALL TO SEE THE FAKENESS IN THE OBAMAS OK NOW SAY IT AN WELCOME THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED SATATES HILLARY CLINTON 08
HRC RULES !!!!!!

[smiley676]

Evangelicals who would have us marching along like little clones to the altar, all the while fleecing our pockets, stealing our prosperity and health from us.


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Posted by RowdyTexan2

Evangelicals don''t want you marching like clones to the alter. You fear people who are different than you. If you would open up your mind, you would see that we can all live in peace.

[gangesdak]

Ordained minister Huckabee kills a pheasant to prove his manhood. Not a tiger that broke the cage, but an innocent bird just flying overhead! Perhaps not killing his mother is the virtue that his ardent supporters would remember. Hurrah for the evengelist virtue.

[bogusbones]

As noted on the US News and World Report email today non-candidate George Bush was man of the Year. Shows how bad we''ve faltered with our leaders over the past few years. He garnered, I believe, a whopping 10% of the vote. Another mandate I guess. The woman of the Year was Hillary, probably deservedly so.
Points again to a terrible lack of leaders that unite rather than divide the country and electorate. Good luck to us all.

[jedi08]

Hillary''s whole experience angle is bogus and if she somehow makes it the general election(which would be a disaster for the dems because she would then lose to whichever rep she faced) her whole experience card is going to get ripped to shreds. 7 years as a Senator is not experience, and being someone''s wife doesn''t mean jack to most people.

We need someone who is honest and not corrupt. The Clinton''s and Bush''s are the same problem with a different label attached to them. Hillary couldn''t even pass the bar exam until she got to Bill''s Sate of Arkansas and she can''t even win an election without her Hubbie. We don''t want someone that weak to run a city, let alone a nation.

Vote Obbama

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by skykk at 11:23 AM : Dec 27, 2007

You are an idiot. Bush and his regime are staring you right in the face with Communism and you don''t even recognize it.

We already have social programs in this country that in no way resemble communism, and subvert your freedomes. A National Health Trust is no more communism than your local police department.

Hillary holds no fear for me. What really scares me is the Evangelicals who would have us marching along like little clones to the altar, all the while fleecing our pockets, stealing our prosperity and health from us.

[rowdytexan2]

CHANGE is not always your friend! Our country and all it stands for does not need to be changed.

What needs to be done is to have the Neocons and their New World Order blasted off the face of the earth.

All the things this country stands for have been subverted by this regime we''ve established in our White House TWICE! They have reached their fingers out into every corner of the world and created chaos! And inside our borders corruption worse than any third world nation has been established to protect the interests of the rich and the middle class has vanished.

Those who promote and promise ''change'' just don''t get it! We''ve got to have someone get in there and wipe the whole slate clean from the last seven years, inside the border and outside of it.

And then we''ve got to get control of our borders and support legal immigration on the basis of job market availability, and a person''s ability to support THEMSELVES.

[jack3213]

I have to agree with the above posts, I sense Edwards has a very good chance, but not good enough to win general election.

[mrmazerati]

I think John Edwards may perform much better than anybody expects in Iowa. And in New Hampshire. Just a hunch.