THE WORLDWIDE STANDARD tends to leave the campaign news to our colleagues at that other STANDARD, where you can read the best Iowa predictions on the web. But today is Caucus Day in Iowa, and we can't ignore the roaring blogosphere buzz on the campaigns.
Already it's a crazy day in Caucusville. The big Republican buzz is the Politico report that Fred Thompson may drop out of the race and throw his support to John McCain if he doesn't do well today. The Thompson campaign strongly denies this allegation, and Captain Ed thinks Thompson still has a shot. But is the damage already done? Mark Steyn wonders...
Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee's surge stalled slightly when he showed the press a negative ad against Romney that he decided to pull from the air last minute. Bloggers, especially Allahpundit, were all over this, and Abe Greenwald thought it would result in substantial damage to Huckabee's campaign. Now, Hugh Hewitt reports that the ad might have run anyways. Huckabee was considered the Iowa frontrunner, but today we'll see how far that populist appeal goes, especially after he crossed the picket lines to appear on Leno last night. Romney, however, brushed off the whole ordeal and continues to poll well in Iowa.
As for John McCain and Rudy Giuliani? Don't expect to see them shaking hands in Iowa today. Both are campaigning in New Hampshire, where they are expected to have better chances next week.
On to the Democrats. Once-frontrunner Hillary Clinton is no longer inevitable, says Robert Novak. And, Obama and Edwards--especially Obama--are soaring in the polls, says Bryan Preston.
Michelle Malkin notes that the Iowa caucuses are a strange process, but it certainly makes for an exciting campaign with a still-uncertain outcome. The Democrats' process is particularly interesting, since candidates who receive less than 15 percent of caucus-goers can urge their supporters to caucus for one of the frontrunners. And right now, two lower-tier candidates are sending their passionate forces to Barack Obama. Yesterday, Dennis "Kooky" Kucinich told his supporters to caucus for Obama should he lose. Right-wing bloggers found this a little funny, but it nonetheless provides crucial votes for Obama, Jay Carney thinks. Obama has Bill Richardson's support, too. And he might get Joe Biden's, as well. Hmm, this makes everything even more difficult for Clinton and Edwards, doesn't it?
It certainly will be a media circus in Iowa today, and one thing we know for sure is that anything can happen. Keep checking the CAMPAIGN STANDARD for the latest campaign news from Iowa and elsewhere.
