The Huckster & Obama Take Iowa

With 65% of the precincts reporting, Fox News has called Iowa for the Mike Huckabee with 31% of the caucus vote. Romney, who spent a large part of his budget for advertisements in Iowa, is well behind Huckabee in a second place at 23%. Thompson and McCain are in a near tie in third place at about 13% each.

On the Democratic side, its appearing that Obama has taken Iowa with 37%. Clinton and Edwards stand tied at 31%.

I do not see a Huckabee nomination in the cards. Our President's most important job will be foreign policy and, in that arena, Huckabee seems, to put it charitably, naive. Further, his personal ethics are very much in doubt after the incredibly transparent trick of a few days ago, holding a press conference to show attack ads that he then said he would not show. If he ever tried such sophmoric tricks as President, he would absolutely be eaten alive, and rightly so.
Huckabee's defining characteristic among Iowa voters seems to have been that Huckabee is a Christian conservative. Outside the realm of identity politics, Huckabee has nothing of substance to offer.

As to what this means for the Democrats, the aura of inevitabiity has been shattered for Hillary. For far too long, Hillary refused to answer any questions of substance and tried to straddle the fence on all issues, with the apex of these acts comining during a debate when, in answer to a question about NY Gov. Spitzer's driver's licenses for illegals, she made statements that contradicted themselves. She has been too clever by half. Whether she can overcome the storm of losing Iowa is now very much an open question.

In one way at least, I welcome Obama's victory in a largely white, rural state. Perhaps now we can start to bury the race card as a viable part of American politics.

Update: Arianna Huffington is ecstatic.

Update: With 98% of the caucusus reporting, it appears Edwards has taken scond place, with 30%. Clinton is in third place with 29%.

Update: Joe Biden has dropped out of the race.

Update: Ron Paul came in with 10% of the vote.