For candidates, better to be a pumpkin than a turkey

by John McCormick

In what is certain to be one of the finest moments of political journalism this year, The Des Moines Register is offering pumpkin carving templates for download for some of the top presidential candidates.

In a place like Iowa, where the Iowa caucuses sometimes feel like they are as big an industry as hogs or corn, these are likely to be popular items.

For the Republicans, templates are available for Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. For the Democrats, they are available for Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

All of the candidates are smiling, except for Obama, who looks to be frowning. With Clinton continuing to lead in national polls, and recently opening a slight lead in Iowa, there is plenty for him to be frightened about.

They can be downloaded at this link.