by John McCormick

DENVER - At most national conventions, the Iowa delegation is a must-stop for any aspiring presidential candidate. This year, however, not many are stopping by.

The featured speaker for a state breakfast this morning at a downtown hotel was Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, an early supporter of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential bid. Besides Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, she was about the biggest name expected to meet with the Iowa delegation this week.

When Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa was asked why so few big names are showing up this year, he had a simple answer: "Because I assume Barack Obama is going to be president for eight years."

All of the attention during past conventions has been the result of Iowa's lead-off position in the presidential nominating process, a spot that affords huge clout for a state with roughly the same population as Chicago.

Although the 2004 convention was designed to promote Sen. John Kerry, presidential prospects for 2008 showered attention on Iowa delegates, just in case the Massachusetts senator didn't make it to the White House.

Four years ago in Boston, the Iowa delegation heard from New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and former presidential candidate Howard Dean.

Richardson, Edwards and Biden all essentially started running for president just about as soon as Kerry lost to President George W. Bush. Biden is now Obama's newly minted running mate.

The Iowa delegation still has a nearly front-row position in the Pepsi Center for the convention because of its battleground status, but the love is a little bit less than four years ago when Richardson even brought jars of salsa for the Iowans.

Harkin said he figures the candidates will start coming back four years from now.

Klobuchar, meanwhile, did not seem to be running for president, as she praised Obama and called for unity from former supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

"I hope no one is going to leave not unified at the end of this week because we are going to come together and get this done," she said.

Klobuchar said she wanted to get out of the room without making any border-war trouble. "We will not make any Iowa jokes, if you don't make any Minnesota jokes," she said.

by John Chase

Inside the hulking Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, the quickly building crowd of hundreds cheered wildly beginning around 8:30 p.m. as national networks began predicting that Obama had won the Iowa Caucus.

A group of Spanish-speaking supporters began signing "Ole'" while watching large-screen televisions and then began chants of "O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!"

The first people to enter the party were supporters from Illinois, Wisconsin and all around the nation who couldn't participate in the caucuses. But soon, they were joined by their brethren from Iowa who had participated.

Faces beamed as the once-empty hall suddenly became packed with exuberant supporters who stamped their feet and cheered.

As Obama took a 7 percent lead by 9 p.m., Obama chief political strategist David Axelrod was more confident than just minutes before when discussing the impending win.

"It's a great day," he said. "In every way, we've exceeded expectations and I think it's going to give us great momentum."

They said this day would never come, our sights were set too high.. but on this Jan night you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You have done what the stare of NH can do in five days. you have dfone what amereica can do in this new year 2008.; in lines that stretched around schoosl and churches you came to gether as dem repun to say we are one nation, one people and pur time for change has come.

As supporters continued to jam themsleves inside the Hy-Vee Hall, they were treated to the music of a raucus drump corps, which for 15 minutes energized the growing crowd to a near frenzy.

With word continuing to spread about Obama's victory, more and more people filled the hall the size of an airplane hangar.

by Frank James

Gov. Mike Huckabee will win the Republican Iowa caucuses, according to CNN which projected a win for the former Arkansas governor before 9 pm eastern time.

Huge blow for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who outspent Huckabee 15 to 1 in Iowa.

Now it's on to New Hampshire, where Huckabee isn't expected to do well because of the relatively small number of Christian evangelicals. But a few months ago, it didn't look like Huckabee would do well in Iowa either.

Still, New Hampshire's Republicans are more secular than western Iowa's. So Huckabee will have the wind at his back coming out of Iowa and head into a big headwind in New Hampshire.

Bill Bennett, the conservative commentator, just said on CNN that the turnout of evangelical Christians was twice what it was in 2000, though we'll need confirmation on that.

Bennett also reminded us that Iowa doesn't necessarily have the best track record on the Republican side. Anyone recall President Pat Robertson? He won in the Iowa caucuses in 1988.

The conventional wisdom is that this really helps Sen. John McCain who has been surging in New Hampshire. No doubt.

by Monique Garcia

DES MOINES, Iowa – Phil Phunn can rattle off a long list of Iowa cities he’s visited in the past week – Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Indianola, Sioux City and more.

He’s a popular man, hawking campaign memorabilia for Hillary Clinton, everything from black and pink T-shirts bearing her name to buttons and lanyards.

“It’s a part of our country’s great political history,” said Phunn, of Sarasota, Florida, about the popularity of his items. “It goes back to the days when most of this stuff was given out for free.”

But on Thursday night at Clinton’s caucus headquarters, fans were lining up to pay $5 bucks a pop - or $10 for three – for his not-so-traditional buttons.

Courtney Willis, 20, of West Des Moines snatched up a black and white button featuring a photo of the New York senator with “You go girl,” written in pink.

by John Chase

DES MOINES -- The Obama campaign is a family affair for Michael Millenson and his son—and one that travels.

The dad, a health-care consultant from Highland Park, and his son, Daniel, a junior at Brandeis University, both were in the Hawkeye state Thursday joined by hundreds of other Illinoisans to pound the pavement and work the phones for Obama’s campaign.

On caucus night, Daniel Millenson, 21, was even working a caucus precinct in West Des Moines. He was helping the campaign by greeting caucus-goers and encouraging them to support Obama.

“It’s awesome,” said Daniel Millenson, who is majoring in philosophy. “He seems like the one candidate who can surmount the partisan bickering that goes on and deliver the kind of change that we need.”

On New Years’ Day, Michael Millenson joined his son—sort of.

After getting a call from former state legislator Lauren Beth Gash, who was also in Iowa on caucus night, he drove out to Cedar Rapids, about 125 miles from Des Moines.

He said that since arriving here, he has met up with more than a dozen others from Chicago and the suburbs who have invaded Iowa.

by Monique Garcia

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Just minutes into the caucuses, the Hillary Clinton camp is prepared to celebrate or commiserate, depending on the outcome.

Staff members are scurrying ahead of Clinton’s appearance, corralling media from across the world into the back of a room containing an empty podium.

As the press plugs in and boots up, wait staff are stocking cocktail napkins and garnishes for guests expected to stream into the Hotel Fort Des Moines after the caucuses close.

Clinton was nowhere to be seen, though security staff were being briefed on entrances, exits and stairwells in advance of what will promise to be a wild night.
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Have questions about the results of tonight's Iowa caucuses, what's next in the race for the White House or anything related to Election 2008? E-mail them to us and we'll answer as many as possible during our video chat scheduled for 12:30 pm central time Friday.

by Frank James

Both the Iowa Democratic and Republican parties have provided links to get tonight's caucus results.

This is the link for the Democrats. And here's the Republican link. We'll be checking in with them along with you so here's hoping they have enough servers and bandwidth to handle all the traffic...
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Have questions about the results of tonight's Iowa caucuses, what's next in the race for the White House or anything related to Election 2008? E-mail them to us and we'll answer as many as possible during our video chat scheduled for 12:30 pm central time Friday.

by John Chase

DES MOINES -- A grungy union hall in a hardscrabble Des Moines neighborhood might be the last place you’d expect to see a Hollywood luminary on New Year’s Day.

But on Tuesday night, there stood actress Madeleine Stowe in the middle of the United Steelworkers Local 164 hall alongside laborers and volunteers for John Edwards’ campaign for president.

The hall was the third stop of the day for Edwards as he continues his 36-hour “Marathon for the Middle Class” tour barnstorming across Iowa in the final days leading up to the caucuses.

Stowe said she’s been volunteering for Edwards since late November and has been in and out of Iowa for the past month, talking to and calling potential caucus-goers in persona and on the phone.

“I’ve been going door-to-door, I’ve talked to groups…a lot of cheerleading,” she said, saying she was attracted to Edwards’ call to end “corporate greed.”

by John McCormick, updated

DES MOINES -- After some technical problems with the video overnight, a fresh link is provided here for a must-watch Internet video for any Iowa political junkie.

It perfectly captures the sentiment of many Iowans who have been constantly bombarded with campaign ads, phone calls and media coverage for nearly a year now in advance of the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses.

The guy on the left is Kyle Munson (the music critic at The Des Moines Register and a very hip cat), while the guy with the guitar is Jason Walsmith of The Nadas.

by Paul West

DES MOINES, Iowa--No advantage is too insignificant in the tight-as-a-tick Iowa caucus contest. But there's one key factor that's beyond the control of the presidential contenders.

Weather, which can influence turnout, is particularly crucial in Iowa. Unlike a primary, when voters have all day to make it to the polls, caucus participants must show up at 7 o'clock, Central time, next Thursday night to make their choice count.

The weather figures to be uppermost in the minds of campaign strategists, who are already tracking extended forecasts for any sign of a portent, good or ill. At the moment, the news seems to be good for Hillary Clinton...that is, unless it helps Barack Obama, instead.

Sen. John McCain at a campaign event at Pelham High School December 19, 2007 in Pelham, New Hampshire. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

 by Paul West

WASHINGTON--This strangest of Christmas weeks - when presidential candidates are asking last-minute shoppers for last-minute support - has bestowed an embarrassment of riches on John McCain.

     The upshot: his chances of winning the Republican nomination, which once seemed all but gone, are glowing brighter at exactly the right time.

       The Union Leader in Manchester, N.H., an influential conservative voice, gave McCain its endorsement, which could reassure Republicans who still wonder if he's truly one of their own. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000, delivered his support, bolstering McCain's image for bipartisanship.

          His rivals in the Republican presidential contest have been unusually generous. Take Mike Huckabee. The fast-rising Republican contender starts to gush when he talks about McCain.

          "I think he's one of the most honorable individuals in this nation. I personally like him. I also professionally respect him," Huckabee said on CNN last weekend. "You won't ever hear me saying something unkind or untoward toward this person who I believe to be a great American hero."

        It's what Huckabee is doing on the ground in Iowa, though, that could deliver the most tangible gift. His surge has pushed Mitt Romney down to second place. If Huckabee holds on, it would reshape the Republican contest and give McCain's candidacy new life, even though McCain figures to finish far back on caucus night.

by Rick Pearson

DES MOINES—The Iowa Democratic and Republican parties today unveiled a joint logo for caucus night, a reflection of their efforts to maintain Iowa's first-in-the-nation status despite efforts by other states to get an earlier say.

Appropriately enough, the logo has the Democrats' donkey on left and the Republican elephant is perched at the right atop the word "IOWA." Just in case anyone could forget what is at stake, the words "First in the nation" are located on top.

"This logo is merely a small representation of the massive collaborative effort that the Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Iowa have been working on together," said Mike Milligan, the executive director of the state's Democrats. "We will be ready on Jan. 3, 2008, to host the first in the nation caucuses."

Chuck Laudner, the executive director of the Iowa Republican Party, said the caucuses were "historic" because of the wide-open nature of the race in both parties.

by Rick Pearson

DES MOINES -- As Democrats compete furiously for support throughout the nation's first presidential contest state, most Republican contenders have been bypassing Iowa, eschewing the meet-and-greet retail politics that have been the state's hallmark and putting at risk its claim for relevancy in the nominating process.

When Mike Huckabee delivered a speech on health care in Des Moines on Dec. 3, it was his first trip to Iowa in almost a month. When Mitt Romney held a town-hall-style meeting in Cedar Rapids on Nov. 30, it ended a stretch of 10 days without an appearance in Iowa. And those two are the GOP front-runners in Iowa's Jan. 3 caucuses.

National front-runner Rudolph Giuliani hasn't been in Iowa since Nov. 8. The former New York mayor's campaign is debuting TV ads on an almost weekly basis -- in New Hampshire. And other leading GOP contenders have similar long absences.

"I think what they're doing is getting ready for the major primaries, the big Feb. 5 vote, and putting their time and money out there," said Richard Lasell, a retired sales executive from Cedar Rapids who, at age 82, has long been active as a Republican in Iowa politics.

There are as many explanations as there are candidates for the phenomenon of Iowa's missing Republicans: the accelerated nominating calendar that has packed more states into the contest more quickly; an unstoppable need for fundraising; a later start by some contenders; and a lack of enthusiasm among GOP voters for the presidential field, as well as a depressed mood over the progress on Iraq and other issues linked to the White House.

See the rest of the story in today's Tribune:

Andrew Zajac

Rudolph Giuliani spent much of his hour-long stint on Meet the Press this morning defending his judgment -- about Bernard Kerik and about business deals that have connected him to a Qatari government official with ties to alleged 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and a Hong Kong businessman with ties to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) smiles while speaking to the crowd at her alma mata, Wellesley College, November 1, 2007 in Wellesley, Massachusetts. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

by William Neikirk

Quick, political junkies, here is a question: Who was the first Democratic presidential candidate this year to invoke Martin Luther King's famous quote about the "fierce urgency of now" in connection with the campaign?

Sen. Barack Obama, you say? Well, true, he got all the press for it and was widely praised for it. In his Jefferson-Jackson Day speech in Iowa on Nov. 11, he said, "I am running in this race because of what Dr. King called the 'fierce urgency of now.' Because I believe that there is such a thing as being too late, and that hour is almost upon us."

So why didn't Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton get the same kind of press on Nov. 1, when she spoke at Wellesley College, about the importance of young people in this election? She said, "I like to think it will be young people, driven by Dr. King's 'fierce urgency of now,' who will make a difference in this election."

by John McCormick and Rick Pearson, updated

JOHNSTON, Iowa – Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama said Friday that if he fails to win the Iowa caucuses it will not be because he is a black man.

Asked whether he is getting a fair hearing in a state that is heavily white, Obama said during the taping of an influential, statewide public affairs program that he was.

"I am getting a fair hearing and I will get a fair hearing and I think we are going to win this place," he said during the taping of Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Press." "You have people who are less concerned about race and much more concerned about 'Is this somebody who is really going to be fighting for me?'"

David Yepsen of The Des Moines Register, the state's most influential political columnist, then sought to further clarify.

"If you don't do well in the caucuses, we're not going to hear David Axelrod, Robert Gibbs and all your spinners telling us, 'Well, Barack Obama didn't do well in Iowa because it's a lily white state,'" Yepsen asked, referring to Obama's top strategist and communications director.

Chicago Tribune photo by Wes Pope

by John McCormick

JOHNSTON, Iowa – At the end of a news conference here, Sen. Barack Obama was just asked whether he would support Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, should she win the Democratic nomination.

The Illinois Democrat said he would indeed support her. It was an answer similar to one he gave the Tribune in an interview late Thursday.

Asked whether he would endorse and campaign for Clinton or former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, if one of those two won the nomination, Obama told the Tribune: "I'm a Democrat and I'm going to support the Democratic nominee, especially since it's going to be me."

by John McCormick

ALBIA, Iowa -- At times Thursday, it was as if Sen. Barack Obama was running against two Clintons.

Former President Bill Clinton was campaigning for his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, when he said in western Iowa that the failure to pass universal health care during his administration should fall on him, not her.

"She has taken the rap for some of the problems … that were far more my fault than hers," he said.

Obama, an Illinois Democrat, responded during a stop in central Iowa that he did not want to dispute the former president's characterization. But then he did.

"If part of your basis for experience is the work you did on health care, then presumably, when it didn't work that's part of experience as well," he said.

Obama declined to respond directly to whether the former president, who also suggested this week that his wife is being attacked in ways similar to the blows Sen. John Kerry suffered from the so-called "swift boat" ads of the 2004 campaign, is muddying the waters.

"We're focused on trying to deliver a message of the kind of president I would be and why I think I would be the best nominee for the Democratic Party," Obama said. "My understanding is that President Clinton is not on the ballot."

by John McCormick

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa -- With television stations in Iowa already jam packed with political advertising, Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign rolled out another new ad today as the Illinois Democrat continues a six-day visit to the state.

The new spot, called "High and Dry," features an Iowa man whose pension, according to the campaign, was raided when CEO’s decided to pull $19 million from the pension fund, leaving him with a payment of $379 a month.

“I’m telling the CEOs it hurts America when they cash out, and leave workers high and dry,” Obama says in the ad. “It’s an outrage. You’ve gotta have somebody in the White House who believes it’s an outrage.”

The ad is part of a campaign swing in the first-in-the-nation caucus state where Obama has hit economic messages hard in advance of the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Des Moines, a major Democratic Party event where all of the candidates will speak Saturday evening.

by John McCormick

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The photo continues to circulate on the Internet and a voter here this afternoon asked Sen. Barack Obama to explain why he did not have his hand over his heart in front of a giant American flag when the other candidates standing next to him did.

Calling the viral e-mail a "classic dirty trick," the Illinois Democrat told his supporters to correct the record and that the image is not what it appears to be.

"This is just so irritating," Obama responded. "This was not the Pledge of Allegiance. This woman was singing the Star Spangled Banner. Now, I was taught by my grandfather that you put your hands over your heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. The Star Spangled Banner, you sing. So that's what I did."

The photo was taken this summer at Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry in Indianola, Iowa.

"These aren't the only e-mails that are going out," Obama said. "You've got e-mails saying that I'm a Muslim plant that's trying to take over America and this and that and the other."

by John McCormick, updated

BETTENDORF, Iowa – As Sen. Barack Obama kicked off his “Change You Can Believe In” bus tour here, he wasn't kidding.

The Illinois Democrat used "change" or some version of the word at least 21 times during a speech that last only about 28 minutes.

In one sentence, he used the word four times: "To stand up for these Americans, I don’t want to settle for anything less than real change, fundamental change – change we need – change that we can believe in."

The suggestion, of course, is that other Democratic primary candidates talking change may not be up to the task, as Obama hinted himself, saying they are "targeting different messages to different audiences."

That was a clear shot at Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, who Obama has aggressively challenged in recent weeks, in part by suggesting she is taking squishy, general-election positions on issues ranging from Social Security to ethanol.

Obama's policy speech here at an area education agency sought to further outline his positions on issues that directly affect the middle class. And, as he is prone to do, he repeatedly wove his own biography into the storyline.

But Clinton and her husband's administration were never far away.

"These problems didn’t start when George Bush came to office and they won’t end just because he’s leaving," Obama said. "We’re not going to reclaim that dream unless we put an end to the politics of polarization and division that is holding this country back."

by John McCormick, updated

BETTENDORF, Iowa – Sen. Barack Obama arrived here today almost on time and in the right city.

His trip to Cedar Rapids last night was another matter. With several hundred people waiting to see him at a community college, he arrived about an hour late because of some misdirection.

As first reported by either the New York Times or ABC News early today, Obama's plane from Chicago to Iowa last night flew to Des Moines instead of Cedar Rapids, its intended destination. There was apparently some confusion over the flight plan.

When the private plane landed at the Des Moines airport and campaign aides realized there were no Secret Service agents waiting, the mistake was quickly realized and the group jetted back east to Cedar Rapids.

"The story's leaking out, huh?" Obama said during a morning interview with Radio Iowa. "Well, what can I tell you? Apparently our pilot's been logging in a lot of miles."

Obama is in this Mississippi River town today to give a “Reclaiming the American Dream” speech on the economy and issues facing middle-income Americans. It is part of second day of a six-day visit to Iowa.

Watch the Swamp later today for more from the “Change You Can Believe In” bus tour.

And no, we don't make these names up.

by John McCormick

Sen. Barack Obama talks about Republicans all the time on the campaign trail.

He points to what he views as their failings in national leadership, but also how some approach him after campaign events and confess that they are backing him. He often jokes that they don't need to whisper about backing a Democrat.

Obama's embracing of the GOP expanded today with the release by his campaign of a list of 268 Iowa Republicans backing his candidacy.

"This public support from Iowa Republicans is yet another sign of Senator Obama’s crossover appeal," the campaign said in a statement.

by John McCormick, updated

With Sen. Barack Obama continuing to directly challenge Sen. Hillary Clinton today -- both in South Carolina and in a Tribune interview -- his presidential primary campaign is also firing from Iowa with a letter challenging her to more quickly make public documents from her time as first lady.

The assault from the Illinois Democrat's campaign comes by way of Iowa Atty. Gen. Tom Miller, who was one of the first public officials in the state to endorse Obama, as well as Lu Barron, a Linn County supervisor.

The two suggest that many documents pertinent to Clinton's experience before she was a New York senator will not be released until after the Iowa caucuses are held on Jan. 3.

"Throughout this campaign, you have repeatedly emphasized your experience as first lady," the letter states. "However, by refusing to authorize an expedited release of the records from your time in Washington, you are preventing the Iowa voters from thoroughly reviewing that experience."

Clinton spokesman Phil Singer, meanwhile, responded with a statement that claims Obama's campaign is "misleading the public about the laws governing the national archives document process."

Singer maintains that it is not just a simple matter of handing the material over to the public.

"By law, those documents are government property in the custody and control of the national archives," he said in the statement. "For many reasons, including national security and historical purposes, each page must be reviewed by the national archives before it is made public."

Clinton spoke about the matter herself today in an interview with Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson, linked here.

The full text of the Obama campaign letter is below the jump.

by John McCormick

A man with close ties to several members of Sen. Barack Obama's senate office and campaign staff, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, will campaign for the Illinois Democrat in Iowa this weekend.

Obama's campaign said this morning that Daschle will be joined by former Oklahoma Congressman Brad Carson, and a former governor of Mississippi, Ray Mabus. The campaign said the group will "discuss why Senator Obama is the best candidate to move our country past red state and blue state divides."

The men will appear in Des Moines for a canvass kickoff event as area supporters prepare to hit the streets to talk to Iowans about Obama in advance of the Jan. 3 caucuses.

by John McCormick and Christi Parsons

IOWA CITY -- The epicenter of political activism in Iowa's largest college town is the retail level of a four-story brick apartment building at the corner of Gilbert and College Streets.

Tenants include the local presidential campaign offices for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Republican Rudolph Giuliani, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.).

"When there was a tornado warning this summer and everyone had to go down to the parking ramp for shelter, people joked there was going to be a remake of 'West Side Story,' " said Tia Upchurch-Freelove, 19, a leader of Students for Obama at the University of Iowa.

For now, however, the street fighting for the college vote is only starting to simmer, as the campaigns seek to harness voters whose activism often stops short of actual voting.

With the first balloting just more than two months away, the Democratic campaigns in particular are intensifying their courtship, offering everything from training on how to participate in the Iowa caucuses to free housing in January when many dorms will be closed for winter break.

In trying to tap the campus vote across the state, the campaigns are going after a niche audience, just as they are with Latinos, veterans and farmers, all in an effort to build a winning coalition of voters.

With as few as 50,000 votes potentially yielding a win in Iowa, the state's tens of thousands of college students present a tantalizing target. Some will caucus near their schools, while others, at home on break, could have even greater influence by participating in small towns.

Read the rest of the story in Tuesday's Tribune.

By John McCormick

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – There were no boxer vs. briefs moments.

But Sen. Barack Obama told a college audience here Monday that if he were filming a movie about himself, he might struggle to decide who would play the leading role.

"I suppose Denzel [Washington] is already taken," he said. "Will Smith is a possibility because his ears match mine."

Then, he gave a safe answer for someone to play his wife, Michelle. "There is nobody that good looking, so she would have to play herself," he said.

In a usual appearance as part of a candidate series sponsored by MTV and MySpace.com, Obama generally played it pretty cool, appearing more like a college professor, than a college rock star.

But the hour-long appearance at Coe College, to be broadcast nationally on MTV and online, offered a few tidbits about Obama's views and personality not commonly found at his more mainstream appearances. A live blog report was offered earlier in the Swamp.

Obama said he has a plan to counter the possible presence of comedian Stephen Colbert, who is toying with a primary run from his home state of South Carolina.

by John McCormick, updated

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Repeating an answer he has given before, Sen. Barack Obama said Sen. Hillary Clinton should not bother to ask him to be her running mate, should she win the Democratic presidential nomination.

"No, as I said, I'm not running for vice president," Obama said, when asked whether he would consider such an offer.

The senator is appearing inside a tiny auditorium at Coe College, lit with red and blue lights, as part of a presidential candidate series sponsored by MTV and MySpace.com.

The room, with about 200 students, is a configured like a theater in the round. The crowd of students seems pretty friendly, including several who are wearing his campaign T-shirts.

"The senator is in the building," an MTV reporter breathlessly announced as he was on his way inside.

"I'm battle ready, battle tested," Obama, dressed hip for the kids with a suit and no tie, told the camera crew outside the building.

Obama had earlier been asked about the controversy surrounding gospel singer Rev. Donnie McClurkin, who sang in South Carolina on his behalf over the weekend.

"He had some views that are anti-gay," Obama said. "I said publicly that I disagreed with them."

You can watch the show at this link.

The show inside is now over, as Obama heads outside for a rally with students under a gorgeous fall sun.

by John McCormick

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa –Sen. Barack Obama repeated his attacks this morning against the Democratic presidential primary front-runner, claiming Sen. Hillary Clinton has dodged questions about Social Security funding.

"I don't think you are ready to lead, if you can't tell us where you are going," the Illinois Democrat told about 200 people at a public library, mocking a phrase Clinton (D-N.Y.) often uses on the campaign trail.

The Social Security attacks started Saturday in Iowa and mark a new, more aggressive approach for Obama, whose supporters have called for him to more directly confront the former first lady.

Obama and Clinton will likely get to discuss the matter in person Tuesday, when the Democrats convene for a debate in Philadelphia.

The campaign stop here came as a new poll shows Obama is in a statistical tie in Iowa with Clinton among Democrats likely to attend the state's caucuses.

by John McCormick

DES MOINES -- As predicted in the Swamp Saturday, Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign unveiled a new ad on Social Security today in Iowa.

Called "Wind," the ad arrives a day after the Illinois Democrat charged that Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, the Democratic primary front-runner, has dodged tough questions on her beliefs about the long-term funding of Social Security.

To see the ad's script, as provided by the campaign, click on the jump below.

By John McCormick, updated

DES MOINES – John Edwards held a rally this evening at Drake University to celebrate his accomplishment of being the first presidential candidate this election cycle to visit all of Iowa's 99 counties.

"Are we going to win all 99 of those counties?" the former North Carolina senator asked, as an audience his campaign said totaled more than 800 cheered wildly.

Hitting all 99 counties is a task Edwards also completed in his 2004 presidential bid, when he finished second in the Democratic version of the Iowa caucuses behind Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

The final stop Edwards needed was Franklin County, a rural county in north central Iowa that he visited today.

A recent analysis by The Des Moines Register showed New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was the Democrat closest to Edwards in total counties visited, with 80 logged so far.

by John McCormick, updated at 4:19 p.m. Eastern

DES MOINES – Sen. Barack Obama today charged that Sen. Hillary Clinton has dodged tough questions about the future of Social Security, a program of great importance to many Iowa caucus participants.

The attack marked a new, more aggressive approach for Obama, whose supporters have called for him to more directly confront the former first lady.

By going on the offense, Obama (D-Ill.) is seeking to shake up polls that show Clinton (D-N.Y.) with a large lead nationally and also in some early voting states.

As he focused on Social Security, Obama pointed to recent moments where Clinton has been less than straightforward in her responses to how she would alter long-term funding for the massive federal program.

“You might remember that this came up in the last presidential debate,” Obama said at a senior center in Iowa's capital. “When Senator Clinton was asked about it, she wouldn’t say what she thought needed to be done. The other day, here in Iowa, she skipped another chance to give a direct answer on this.”

He also poked at Clinton by using a phase, "ready to lead," that she often uses on the campaign trail. "You're not ready to lead if you can't tell us where you're going," he said.

Clinton's campaign responded by charging that Obama is not sticking to one of the central themes of his campaign.

"It’s unfortunate that Senator Obama has abandoned the politics of hope as his campaign has stalled," her campaign said in a statement. "Maybe he should focus on explaining why a few months ago he said everything was on the table, including raising the retirement age, but today says he opposes it."

by John McCormick

ANKENY, Iowa – Sen. Barack Obama continues to use one of his distant relatives as a punchline on the presidential campaign trail.

Talking about the nation's addiction to oil, the Illinois Democrat told several hundred gathered at a community college this morning that part of the blame falls on Vice President Dick Cheney.

"It doesn't help when you put my cousin, Dick Cheney, in charge of energy policy," Obama said. "We've been trying to hide this for a long time, by the way. Everybody's got a black sheep in the family."

Earlier this month, Lynne Cheney, the vice president's wife, made news when she talked about the relationship with Obama, who is an eighth or ninth cousin of Cheney's.

And in an interview with CNBC this week, Cheney called the senator "Cousin Barack.''

Obama first discussed the distant relationship at length during an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards meets the press today after delivering a policy address on corporate responsibility in Iowa, where the only Maytag made any more is blue cheese. AP Photo by Charlie Neibergall

by John McCormick, updated

DES MOINES – Doug Bishop is a big, burly man who once worked on a factory assembly line. He's not the sort you would expect to be on the brink of tears when speaking in front of a room full of people.

But there he was this morning, on stage at a small, downtown theater, choking back his emotions. Bishop is not alone.

For many, this is an emotional week in Iowa, as one of the state's trademark companies, Maytag Corp., closed its last production line Thursday in nearby Newton, sending home 550 workers for the last time.

The closing means that for the first time in 114 years Maytag products will no longer be produced in the company's longtime home. Whirlpool Corp., which purchased the company for $2.6 billion last year, closed the plant.

Bishop, now the treasurer of Jasper County, Iowa, introduced former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards for a smartly timed economic policy speech.

The plant's closing gave Edwards yet another chance to hammer home his populist message, reaching back to his roots as the son of a mill worker.

Bishop, dressed in black to mourn the plant's closing, spoke about when he first met Edwards in 2004, when he was Sen. John Kerry's running mate. He said he would never forget what Edwards said to his young son that day.

"'I'm going to keep fighting for your daddy's job,'" Bishop recalled Edwards saying, as he knelt on his knee to talk to the boy. "'I promise you that.'"

With that warm-up act, Edwards launched into a policy speech that criticized executive pay and the loss of worker benefits.

He called for universal retirement savings accounts that would follow workers from job to job, universal health care, stronger corporate responsibility laws and greater consumer protections.

by John McCormick

The often-under-fire Iowa caucuses are taking some heat again as a new report by The Century Foundation alleges the voting procedure is antiquated and violates fundamental rights such as equal opportunity to participate and fair access to the ballot.

“While it is absolutely good for democracy for citizens to engage in group deliberation about elections, this no longer makes sense as a mechanism for actually picking the two presidential candidates,” the report states.

The report suggests the main problem with the caucus system is the associated low participation rates, which are even lower than for primaries. In 2004, for example, the report says that turnout for the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire was 29.9 percent, compared to about 6 percent for the Iowa caucuses.

Participation in Democratic caucuses after Iowa, the report says, were even lower. For example: North Dakota (2.3 percent), Washington (2.5 percent), Michigan (2.3 percent).

Despite the low turnout, Iowa Democratic and Republican leaders often argue in response to such challenges that party activists in their state take their role of winnowing the candidate field very serious and that massive amounts of money are not needed to win the state.

Same-day registration is also allowed for the caucuses, meaning that just about anyone who is a resident of voting age and can spend a couple hours at a meeting on a cold night can participate.

The study can be found at this link.

by John McCormick

The ground game numbers war continues to escalate in Iowa, with the campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama announcing today that it has opened its 32nd and 33rd field office in the state.

The new offices are in Fairfield and Perry, both regional towns with strong Democratic bases. The Illinois Democrat is expected to campaign in Perry on Saturday.

According to an analysis this week by The Des Moines Register, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York has the next-highest number of offices in the state, at 22. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson follow at 15.

On Wednesday, meanwhile, NBC reported that Clinton plans to add 100 more paid staff members to Iowa by Nov. 1.

That would push her past Obama in total Iowa paid staff. The Register's report showed Obama with 145, Edwards with 130, Clinton with 117 and 78 for Richardson.

by John McCormick

It looks like a decision could come as early as this weekend on a date for the Democratic version of the Iowa caucuses.

Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson is reporting this hour that the Iowa Democratic Party's State Central Committee will meet Sunday evening to discuss scheduling of the Iowa caucuses.

Iowa Republicans have already settled on Jan. 3 for their date.

Henderson reports: "In conversations with Democratic party officials and those connected to or participating in the discussions, it appears highly likely Iowa Democrats will hold their precinct-level meetings on January 3 as well."

New Year's Eve reservations at the 801 Steak & Chop House in Des Moines are going to be a hot ticket.

Norma "Duffy" Lyon works on a Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycle made of butter, Aug. 6, 2003. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

by John McCormick, updated

Norma Duffield Stong Lyon does some of her best work in 40-degree temperatures, so she is certainly hardy enough to deal with January's Iowa caucus weather.

Lyon, who goes by "Duffy," is something of an Iowa icon, where she is known as the "Butter Cow Lady" for her work on such art forms as butter cows, a butter Elvis Presley, a butter Garth Brooks and a butter Smokey the Bear.

Yes, Ms. Lyon is a butter sculptor. She is also a new public voice for Sen. Barack Obama, whose campaign announced this morning that she is speaking in a new radio ad airing in the first-in-the-nation-caucus state.

“You know, you see a lot of manure in our line of work,” Lyon says in the ad. “It’s a lot like politics. You got to know what’s bull and what’s for real.”

Obama, however, did not visit her work during a lengthy tour of the Iowa State Fair in August. He visited an animal building, rode the bumper cars and competed in a midway game, but no visit to the butter sculpture, as is typical for most visiting candidates.

Tommy Vietor, Obama's Iowa spokesman, said the candidate did on another trip get a private viewing of a butter Obama logo Lyon made her him.

During the 60-second ad, called "For Us," Lyon praises Obama’s commitment to standing up to Washington special interests and for supporting rural America.

Sen. Barack Obama is applauded by supporters at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)

by John McCormick

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama is going on the offensive in Iowa on Iran.

The Illinois Democrat's campaign is sending out a color mailing today in the early voting state that includes the headline, "While others went along, Obama opposed Bush’s war plans."

The mailing highlights a recent Senate vote, typically referred to as the "Kyl-Lieberman Amendment," that labeled the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization as part of a "Sense of the Senate" measure that was passed by a wide margin.

Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York voted for the amendment, as did Sen. Dick Durbin, the senior senator from Illinois.

Obama missed the vote, but has said he would have voted against the provision, had he not been campaigning in New Hampshire.

The mailing states: "Barack Obama is the ONLY major candidate for president to oppose both the Iraq War from the very start and the Senate amendment that raises the risk of war with Iran."

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.

by Rick Pearson

DES MOINES — Iowa Republicans today advanced their presidential caucuses to Jan. 3 in an effort to retain their first-in-the-nation status, but state Democrats gave no indication on whether they would make the same move, pick another day or adhere to the original Jan. 14 caucus date.

The latest jockeying in the nation’s presidential calendar may open Republican candidates to criticism they are like political grinches who stole the Christmas-New Years season from Iowans—their TV ads interspersed in holiday specials, their attack mailings mixing with Christmas cards, their door-knockings commingling with package deliveries, their automated campaign calls blending into relatives’ telephoned holiday greetings.

"It's a complete disaster," said one veteran presidential campaign official who asked not to be identified. "The way campaigns work, you schedule backwards from election day—from your trips, media buys and ground game. It's a complete mess."

Further complicating things is the unsettled state of the nation's first primary in New Hampshire. Originally expected on Jan. 22, the date could be moved up into December to counter states trying to gain an early foothold on the presidential nominating process, such as Michigan, which set a Jan. 15 primary date.

by John McCormick

Iowa has long been known for its retail politics, and a new Iowa Poll by The Des Moines Register shows just how personal it gets.

The newspaper reports that a quarter of caucus-bound Democrats and Republicans have met at least one of the presidential candidates, and that the presidential contenders have already logged more than 500 days of campaigning in the state this year.

The Iowa Poll also says:

• More than three-fourths of likely caucus participants have been contacted by a presidential campaign.

• Forty-three percent have been to a campaign event where a candidate appeared.

• Sixteen percent have donated money to a candidate.

• And seven percent have been interviewed about the first-in-the-nation caucuses by the news media.

The Register's full report is linked here.

by Rick Pearson

DES MOINES -- Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama acknowledged Sunday that Americans would pay higher costs for electricity if his environmental program to vastly reduce greenhouse emissions is successful.

Speaking to about 200 people at Des Moines' downtown library to discuss the relationship of faith and environmental stewardship, the senator from Illinois said his proposals to temper the effects of global warming include a cap on carbon emissions to effect greenhouse gas reductions of 80 percent by 2050.

"On the front end at least, when you set up a cap, that is going to increase the costs, the production costs of electricity, for these companies. What will they do? They are going to pass them on to you," Obama said. "And so, I hope everybody understands, if we are serious about dealing with global warming, there is going to be a spike in the unit costs of electricity."

Obama said his acknowledgment was representative of one theme of his campaign, that "I can't just tell people what they want to hear."

by Christi Parsons

The last time Sheila Simon campaigned in Iowa was when her father, U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.) was running for president twenty years ago.

But Simon the daughter has been out on the stump this weekend, trying to drum up support for Barack Obama, the latest Illinois senator to seek the party's nomination.

Simon and her family drove up from southern Illinois on Saturday to Keokuk, the closest point in the early caucus state, where they met up with Loretta Durbin, wife of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, to do some canvassing work.

"It was old-fashioned campaigning, for which my family and I are fully trained," Simon said. "There were a couple of older folks who remembered my dad. I don't know if they were supporters, but they seemed to have fond feelings toward him."

If Sen. Simon were still alive, his daughter believes, he'd be backing Obama.

"No doubt, my dad would be an Obama supporter," she said. "Dad and Barack worked together on numerous things, and I think he'd be happy to be out in Iowa this weekend."

by John McCormick

The Associated Press and The Des Moines Register are reporting that the motorcyclist who hit a van carrying the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama earlier this week in northern Iowa has been cited for passing too close to an intersection.

Motorcyclist Timothy Emerson, 41, of Iowa Falls, who was involved in a crash with a campaign van carrying Michelle Obama, was cited by the Franklin County sheriff's office, the Register reported. No of the six people in the campaign van were injured, and Emerson was treated and released after being airlifted to an area hospital.

The Swamp reported on the crash earlier this week.

by Rick Pearson, updated

DES MOINES—Illinois Sen. Barack Obama lashed out at Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton's electability this morning, contending her nomination would let a Republican election opponent say they both support the Iraq war and allow her to be attacked for changing positions and not being open with the public.

"When I am the nominee of our party, the choice will be clear," Obama told a few hundred supporters inside Old Main at Drake University. "The American people want that choice. I think they welcome that choice because I believe that's what we need in our next president."

A day after saying his campaign was turning to a new phase in the approaching weeks before Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, Obama delivered his strongest criticism to date of Clinton, the New York senator who is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in national polls.

Contending Clinton was part of a Congress that "failed" the American people by leading the nation to war with Iraq, Obama said her vote in support of authorizing the war says much about what she would do as president. Obama opposed the war as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

"Every single one of us running for president only had once chance to make a judgment about whether or not to go to war," Obama said.

Obama noted that while rival John Edwards also voted to authorize the Iraq war as a North Carolina senator, he has called the vote a mistake "instead of pretending that the vote was for anything but war."

by John McCormick, updated

There was little surprise to the new online-only campaign ad presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama unveiled today.

His 2002 opposition to the invasion of Iraq has been one of the most central and consistent messages in the Illinois Democrat's campaign, so it was obvious that an ad like this would arrive at some point.

Called "Blank Check," the ad comes on the five-year anniversary of the U.S. Senate's vote to support the use of military force in Iraq. (It is a topic the Obama campaign will hit hard today, including with a series of 11 news conferences throughout Iowa.)

At more than a minute, the ad would likely be too long to run on television. But don't be surprised if an edited-down version eventually makes its way to screens in Iowa and New Hampshire.

It features remade audio of a speech in Chicago's Federal Plaza that Obama, then a state senator, gave in early October 2002, as the Senate was preparing to vote.

by John McCormick, updated

A mini-van carrying the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was involved in a serious car accident this afternoon in northern Iowa where she was campaigning for her husband.

Neither Michelle Obama nor any members of the campaign staff were injured, although the van was seriously damaged and towed away. The driver of the other vehicle, a motorcycle, was injured in the collision.

The accident, on a two-lane road, happened about 3:35 p.m. and roughly 4 miles south of Hampton, Iowa, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.

The motorcycle's driver was airlifted to a nearby hospital, the sheriff's department said. A nursing supervisor said this evening that he was treated and released.

The 2007 Chevy van was being driven at the time by a campaign staff member, as is customary.

The sheriff's department said the van was struck as it was making a left turn into a park driveway near a pavilion where Michelle Obama was expected to appear.

by John McCormick, updated

As Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois arrives in Des Moines this afternoon for a meeting with his national finance committee, campaign manager David Plouffe and top strategist David Axelrod, he will be back in the state where his polling has been stalled for months.

With the nation's first presidential balloting just three months off, a new poll shows Sen. Hillary Clinton with a narrow lead among Iowans expected to participate in their state's first-in-the-nation Democratic caucuses.

Clinton wins support from 29 percent of likely caucus participants, followed by 23 percent for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and 22 percent for Obama, according to a new Iowa Poll, released Saturday evening by The Des Moines Register.

Obama's position in the poll is virtually unchanged from May, while Edwards has slipped from the top spot in a state that is viewed as an essential win for his campaign.

Clinton has enjoyed wide leads in national polls, but this poll shows the New York senator has also gained ground in a state that had in recent months been widely considered a statistical toss-up among the top three Democrats.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was backed by 8 percent of likely caucus participants, while all the other Democrats in the field recorded 5 percent or less.

On the Republican side, the poll shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with a strong lead, at 29 percent. Actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is his nearest challenger in the Iowa Poll, receiving the backing from 18 percent of likely GOP caucus participants.

(Mitt Romney, left, has run well in Iowa since winning the GOP straw poll there. Photo by Jim Cole/AP. The volatility on the Democratic side can be seen in 53 percent of likely caucus-goers saying they could be convinced to support some else. For now, Hillary Clinton leads in the Iowa Poll. Photo above by Getty Images/AFP)

by John McCormick and Mike Dorning, updated

CORALVILLE, Iowa – Sen. Barack Obama's campaign advisers were pressed into talking about the absence of a flag pin on his suit lapel for a second day, as they held a conference call with reporters this morning about a new campaign ad in Iowa.

"The senator understands that patriotism is hard work. You know, if you could do it by just putting a flag on your lapel, that would be pretty easy," retired Gen. Merrill McPeak, Air Force chief of staff during the first Gulf War and an Obama supporter who has been providing advice on national security, says in the new ad.

"It's hard work. It comes from the heart, not the clothing," McPeak, who is featured in the new ad. "I think the American people are wise enough to understand the difference between kind of petty symbolism and real substance, real courage, real judgment, which is what Barack brings to this ball game."

Campaign manager David Plouffe said he does not expect any damage to the campaign because of the dust-up over a flag lapel pin Obama has not worn for years.

"Voters in Iowa and elsewhere are very much focused on, you know, the key important issues that they are facing in their lives everyday," he said.

Plouffe said Obama shows his patriotism in more important ways.

by John McCormick

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa -- After addressing a question over his decision years ago to stop wearing an American flag pin on his suit lapel, Sen. Barack Obama revisited the topic of arugula during a campaign stop here Thursday.

His first mention of the leafy green came during the summer as part of his first high-profile visit to an Iowa farm. Then, he posed the following question:

"Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?" he asked. "I mean, they're charging a lot of money for this stuff."

That comment came despite the fact that Iowa does not have any Whole Foods stores, nor do most of its farmers typically grow any arugula.

The point the Illinois Democrat and presidential candidate was trying to make then, he said Thursday, was that farm subsidies should not just go to traditional commodities like corn and cotton.

"Eating habits are changing," he said.

Then, he explained that he had been "teased" for previously mentioning arugula.

by John McCormick, and updated

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa – Wearing a white shirt, with his sleeves rolled up, there was no place for a lapel pin, as Sen. Barack Obama spoke to several hundred in Waterloo earlier this afternoon.

Still, reporters were straining to look at the Illinois Democrat's clothing, after a local television interview Wednesday revealed Obama does not wear an American flag pin on his lapel, as has become tradition for many politicians since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Obama, too, had worn one after 9/11, but he hasn't worn one regularly in years.

"I'm less concerned about what you are wearing on your lapel than what's in your heart,'' Obama said here in Independence.

The television interview had been done by KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is the question and answer, according to a transcript provided by the campaign:

Reporter: “One last quick question, and this is just kind of a lighter note, you don’t have an American flag pin on, is this a fashion statement? Those have been on politicians since September 12, 2001?”

“You know, the truth is that right after 9/11 I had a pin. Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we’re talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security, I decided I won’t wear that pin on my chest, instead I’m gonna’ try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism.”

And today in Independence, a day when the candidate was planning to talk about other things, Obama was forced to talk about a pin that he has not worn for years.

"After a while, you know, you start noticing people wearing a lapel pin, but not acting very patriotic,'' Obama said here. "Not voting to provide veterans with the resources that they need....

"You show your patriotism by being true to our values and our ideals,'' he said. "And that's what we have to lead with is our values and ideals."

(Sen. Barack Obama found a flag-draped backddrop for his foreign policy town hall meeting in Iowa this week, but has stopped wearing a flag lapel pin. AP Photo by Charlie Neibergall)

by John McCormick

WATERLOO, Iowa -- When your name starts with an "O," it presents an opportunity for something a little different from the traditional rectangular campaign sign.

Dozens of pizza-sized, circular signs waved in the crowd – including some used as fans – as Sen. Barack Obama spoke this afternoon to several hundred gathered in a warm gymnasium at a boys and girls club here.

Obama's campaign has not given a name to the red, white and blue "O" signs, which made their debut in Iowa a couple weeks ago at Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry.

They have the campaign's horizon-like logo, but do not have the candidate's name in large print, as is tradition for political signs. They also look like they could make a pretty good Frisbee, unlike the traditional campaign signs also distributed at the Illinois Democrat's events.

by John McCormick

WASHINGTON, Iowa -- With most voter questions dealing in weighty policy matters, a man in the audience asked Sen. Barack Obama a somewhat unusual one this afternoon.

"What would you say is the most painful and character-building experience of your life that puts you in an important position to make important decisions of life and death and the well-being of our country?"

After a brief pause, Obama talked about his childhood:

"I would say the fact that I grew up without a father in the home. What that meant was, I had to learn very early on to figure out what was important and what wasn't and exercise my own judgment, in some ways to raise myself. I mean, my mother was wonderful, and was a foundation of love for me.

'But as a young man growing up, I didn't have a lot of role models, and I made a lot of mistakes. But I learned to figure out that there were certain values that were important to me, that I had to be true to. Nobody was going to force me to be honest. Nobody was going to force me to work hard. Nobody was going to force me to have drive and ambition.

"Nobody was going to force me to have empathy for other people. But if I really thought those values were important, then I had to live them out...That's why it's so important for me now, both as a United States senator, as presidential candidate, but also as a father and a husband to wake up every morning and ask myself am I living up to those values that I say I think are important. Because if I'm not, I shouldn't be president."

Sen. Barack Obama at the University of Iowa on Oct. 3, 2007. Charlie Niebergall/AP Photo.

by John McCormick

IOWA CITY –Sen. Barack Obama charged today that a private security firm operating in Iraq has acted "with reckless disregard to Iraqi life," as he called his proposals to better monitor such contractors the toughest reforms offered by any candidate in the presidential race.

Although Obama has previously mentioned Blackwater USA, the Illinois Democrat drew greater attention to the firm's actions in an extended discussion on the University of Iowa's campus.

"Most contractors act as if the law doesn't apply to them," he said. "Under my plan, if contractors break the law, they will be prosecuted."

In announcing his "Security Contractor Accountability Plan," Obama said he would like to see greater transparency on contractor hiring and costs.

by John McCormick

If it seems that Sen. Barack Obama is only putting in part of a day's work on the campaign trail today, there's a reason. He's got a hot date tonight.

After spending the morning and early afternoon in Iowa, Obama is scheduled to jet back to Chicago for an evening with his wife, Michelle Obama.

Besides celebrating the five-year anniversary of his speech opposing the invasion of Iraq, Obama is also celebrating another, more romantic anniversary this week: his 15th wedding anniversary.

No word on how the happy -- and busy -- couple plan to spend the evening. But it is a safe bet they won't be watching the Cubs in Game 1 of the division playoffs. Obama has repeatedly made it clear that he prefers the South Side White Sox.

The candidate will fly back to Iowa Thursday morning to resume his campaign duties.

by John McCormick

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama will be joined Tuesday on the campaign trail in Iowa by Ted Sorensen, a top adviser to President Kennedy.

Sorensen will introduce the Illinois Democrat before speeches in Des Moines and Coralville, where Obama will travel after delivering a foreign policy speech in Chicago, five years to the day after he delivered a speech in Federal Plaza that opposed the invasion of Iraq.

Obama will deliver the Chicago version of the speech at DePaul University.

He gave the 2002 speech shortly before the Senate -- including two of his top challengers for the nomination -- voted to authorize force to oust Saddam Hussein. Those lawmakers were Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

by John McCormick

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign announced a notable Iowa endorsement this morning by winning the backing of one of the state's premiere Democratic power couples.

In a conference call with reporters, Gordon Fischer, who served for two years during the last presidential contest as state Democratic Party chairman, announced his support and pledged to campaign for Obama across the state.

Fischer's wife, Monica, another major Iowa political operative who once worked for former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, is also backing the Illinois Democrat.

Fischer, who works as a lawyer, said he decided over the weekend to back Obama, after being aggressively courted for months by all of the major Democratic candidates operating in the state.

"Like all Democrats, I am desperate to win the White House, and I am absolutely convinced that Sen. Obama is the candidate who has the best chance against any of the Republicans in the field," Fischer said.

by John McCormick

As presidential candidate Barack Obama campaigns across southwest Iowa today, his campaign manager is distributing a new memo that seeks to dispel any notions that the Illinois Democrat's effort is failing to keep pace with front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

"When we got into this race as a largely unknown candidate new to the national political stage, we never expected that nine months later at this stage of the race, we would be in tight three way race [in] Iowa; leading in the money race; have the largest grassroots organization in modern political history; and have an organizational advantage in the early states and February 5 over a quasi-incumbent from the most powerful political machine in modern political history," campaign manager David Plouffe writes in what might fairly be described as a run-on sentence.

Plouffe continues that the media wrongly "remains focused on the simplistic and erroneous view of national polls as predictors" before launching into what he views as "several structural advantages."

In the memo, Plouffe argues the campaign has the best message, biography and is "most in [sync] with the electorate." He also claims it has the "largest organizations with the most experienced staff and enthusiastic volunteers in the four early states."

With the third-quarter fundraising deadline fast approaching, Plouffe fairly points out that Obama has "the most donors by far in the race, who as the election draws nearer will get even more active on our behalf, giving us financial sustainability."

The memo comes as Obama continues to struggle to win over so-called "beer track" voters, as reported in the weekend editions of the Tribune.

For the curious, the full text of the Plouffe memo, complete with a few campaign typos, is below the jump.

(Obama, photo from the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital)

by John McCormick

Sen. Barack Obama is using an image of his deceased mother in a new campaign ad that seeks to make the case that he is the best qualified to bring change in the way the nation delivers health care.

Called "Mother," the 30-second ad briefly shows a picture of Stanley Ann Dunham, who died of cancer in 1995. The image includes a very young Obama in her arms.

The ad is scheduled to start running in Iowa on Friday. It arrives during a week where Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York has received extensive news coverage for the unveiling of her health care proposal.

Within the ad, Obama promises a health care plan that will “cover everyone.” That’s a suggest that draws fire from his opponents, who claim the plan he offered in May falls short of offering true universal coverage.

Unlike the plans offered by Clinton and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Obama’s plan stops short of mandating that all Americans be required to have insurance. Obama’s campaign maintains that by making the system more affordable, it would mean that more people would buy into the program, thus moving the country closer to universal coverage.

The new Obama ad is the second one his campaign has launched in Iowa this week. Like the first one, the Illinois Democrat speaks directly into the camera as he argues that he is a Washington outsider.

"To fix health care, we have to fix Washington," he says at the end of the ad.

It's an anecdote Obama has been recently field testing on the campaign trail. This is how he told the story of his mother's illness during a recent campaign stop in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, left, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. and retired army Gen. Wesley Clark at a Clinton campaign fundraiser in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007. AP Photo/Seth Wenig.

by Rick Pearson

DAVENPORT, Iowa—Tom Vilsack may no longer be governor of Iowa but the one-time presidential contender who is now a key player in Hillary Clinton's bid has stirred up some controversy over disparaging comments he made about another New Yorker who is running for president.

Vilsack was reported in the New York Post as saying in a TV interview that former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has "lots of issues" that voters outside New York may not know about.

"I can't even get into the number of marriages, (and) the relationship he has with his children," the Post quoted Vilsack as saying. Vilsack also described Giuliani's past as "interesting."

Clinton, the New York senator, has studiously avoided any references to Giuliani on the campaign trail and Vilsack's comments about the former New York mayor may create their own "family values" questions about the relationship between President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton at the White House.

For her part, Clinton would not directly address the subject in a conference call with Iowa reporters this morning.

by John McCormick

The room covered with gorgeous woodwork that serves as the setting for Sen. Barack Obama's new 60-second television commercial debuting in Iowa today is actually part of a park facility building in suburban Oak Park, Ill.

The ad, called "Believe," is the first where the Illinois Democrat speaks directly to the camera as he tries to sell himself as a Washington outsider. It is expected to run with greater frequency -- and more expense -- than his earlier television ads in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Obama makes no mention of his opponents, while he stresses his opposition to the invasion of Iraq and past record of working with Republicans to solve problems.

by John McCormick

The campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is using the Iowa caucuses in a new fundraising pitch, as the Sept. 30 deadline for the third quarter rapidly approaches.

In the appeal to supporters, Paul Tewes, the Iowa state director, explains that Iowa means more than just turning people out to vote.

"In order to win, we have to turn people out to a caucus -- a process that lasts over an hour and requires supporters to publicly advocate for their candidate and persuade others to join them," he writes. "That means in Iowa, it's all about organization. We have to organize all 99 counties and train over 1,700 precinct captains to lead these caucuses."

Tewes, who worked on Al Gore's Iowa campaign in 2000, knows it is no easy matter.

by John McCormick

It borders on corny, but Sen. Barack Obama has started in recent days to tell a short story at the end of some of his presidential campaign stump speeches about a inspirational woman he recently met in South Carolina. It is part of an effort by the Illinois Democrat to fire up the crowd before it departs. The story is about a long drive, a rainy day and how one person can make a difference.

By John McCormick

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Wednesday night, it was trains – two of them. Thursday night, it was a boat.

Sen. Barack Obama is getting used to having his speeches interrupted by modes of transportation.

"We've got trains and ice cream," Obama said, referring to the interruptions the previous evening in Davenport, Iowa, and his mis-informed notion that music playing from a calliope here was coming from an ice cream vendor. "It’s an ice cream boat."

It turns out it was just a passing riverboat cruising the nearby Mississippi River. (A reporter on the scene was unable to determine whether the boat was carrying any ice cream.) After the brief distraction, the Illinois Democrat proceeded with his presidential campaign speech about Iraq to the roughly 400 people gathered.

The boat and train interruptions this week followed a lengthy one caused by a passing freight train during a stop Obama made in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, on a 4th of July tour across eastern Iowa. (He also swallowed a bug in the middle of that appearance.)

As the senator well knows, it's rough -- and noisy -- on the campaign trail.

by John McCormick

ANAMOSA, Iowa -- If anyone was confused over the last day on whether Sen. Barack Obama supports a requirement to tie future funding for the Iraq war to a hard deadline for withdrawal, he sought to make the point crystal clear this afternoon.

"I had some reporters who were maybe not entirely clear about this: I believe that Congress should and must not give George Bush a blank check," he told an audience of several hundred here. "I believe that Congress should impose a timetable and constraints on George Bush and insist that we begin to bring our troops home. I cannot guarantee that we can get all the Republicans we need, but we have to try."

by John McCormick

MAQUOKETA, Iowa – As Sen. Barack Obama sought to differentiate himself from the rest of the Democratic field today on the issue of the Iraq war, a seven-year-old in the audience evened the playing field.

During an question-and-answer session in a city park here, young Clayton Melvin agreed with Obama that the war should end now.

"I think we should end this war," said Clayton, a second-grader from nearby DeWitt, Iowa.

So far, so good.

"I agree," Obama said. "That's a good comment."

Then Clayton continued. "I'm not just going to wait for president," he said.

"You don't want to just wait for President Bush," Obama echoed. "We need to end it now…I agree."

Then Clayton moved into a topic that left Obama sputtering a bit.

"And I agree Hillary wants to," Clayton said, referring to Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

"Ah, well, yeah," Obama responded, the audience laughing. "Well there you go."

As the laughter died down, Obama got back on message. "I think that we want to get everybody on board to bring this war to a close," he said.

Obama made clear that he held no ill will toward the boy, even after his less-than-polite comment.

"You ever seen Mayberry?" Obama asked. "You look just like Opie…He's a cute kid. That's a good thing."

by John McCormick

MAQUOKETA, Iowa -- The Secret Service is known for its professionalism and precision, but that apparently does not mean they don't get lost once and a while.

Sen. Barack Obama told several hundred gathered in a park here this morning that some of the agents assigned to him lost their way in an appropriately named nearby town as they did advance work Wednesday.

"They got lost in Lost Nation," he said. "They weren't sure they were going to be able to find their way out."

Obama said he met the mayor of Lost Nation, Iowa, earlier today. "I love the name of that town," he said.

The Illinois Democrat is on the second day of a campaign swing through eastern Iowa, where he continues to try to distinguish himself from the other Democratic presidential candidates on the topic of pulling out of Iraq.

Obama also said his campaign plans to open a field office in this town, a place with a population of 6,100. That brings the total in the state to 30.

by John McCormick

CLINTON, Iowa -- Plenty has already been made of Sen. Barack Obama's decision to give a major anti-war speech here, in a city that has the same name as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Campaign aides said it was strictly a coincidence. Still, Obama had some fun trying his hand with the headline writing that could be done from the Wednesday afternoon event.

"We do hope that the headline after we leave is Clinton endorses Obama," he said to laughter from his audience of about 500 in a university gym.

"Clinton gives Obama standing ovation," the Illinois Democrat tried on his second effort.

by John McCormick

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- There must be something about Iowa, trains and Sen. Barack Obama.

As the presidential candidate was starting to give a speech about Iraq at a pavilion on the banks of the Mississippi River here, a passing freight train started blasting its horn. It was similar to a speech-stopping incident that happened in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, over the 4th of July weekend.

"Is George Bush driving that train?" the Illinois Democrat asked the audience of several hundred. "Are they trying to keep me from telling the truth?"

After pausing for a couple minutes, the train finally passed and gave the crowd a fancy parting horn blast. "That was pretty good. I think he is voting for me," Obama said.

About 15 minutes later, during a question-and-answer session, another train blasted by.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

by John McCormick

CLINTON, Iowa – Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama this afternoon called for an immediate start to the withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces from Iraq -- with a goal of full removal by the end of 2008 -- as he suggested the nation has lost its way because of the war.

"We're not going to be truly united and resolute as Americans until we can stop holding our breath, until we can come together to reclaim our foreign policy and our politics and end this war that has cost us too much," he said.

Obama's plan, outlined before an audience of about 500 at Ashford University, calls for the complete pullout of troops by the end of next year by bringing home one or two brigades each month.

"Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq. There never was," he said. "'The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year – now."

Other Democratic candidates have also called for the immediate start of a troop withdrawal. While Obama's speech added some new details, it did not offer any dramatic new insights about his position on the war.

"The American people have the right instincts on Iraq," Obama said. "It's time to heed their judgment…I will be a president who listens to the American people, not a president who ignores the American people."

The speech came a day after Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker updated Congress on the war during two days of testimony.

by John McCormick

Previewing a speech he is expected to give Tuesday, presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama told military veterans on a conference call Sunday evening that they are an essential constituency if he is to win his party's nomination.

"I think we are going to win this campaign and veterans are going to be a key part of this winning," the Illinois Democrat said, while traveling through New Hampshire.

The Tuesday speech is before the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City. It will follow one given earlier in the day by former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who is expected to announce his Republican presidential campaign after Labor Day.

Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and Sen. John McCain of Arizona are expected to speak to the group Monday.

During the conference call, Obama said he would continue to call for a refocusing of the nation's military efforts away from Iraq and toward terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"I'm going to lay out my agenda for winning the war on terror, making sure the military continues to be the strongest fighting force in the world and making sure we honor the sacred trust that we have to care for veterans and their families," he said.

by John McCormick

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama continues his bus tour through Iowa today. Here is the link to the Tribune's coverage of his stops Thursday, including one at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

by John McCormick and Rick Pearson

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama is targeting Hispanic voters with a new radio ad in the early caucus state of Nevada.

The campaign said today that the Spanish-language ads are running statewide.

“We have a lot of work to do," Obama said in a statement. "But I am confident that together we can bring change to this country by continuing to stand up for comprehensive immigration reform, fighting for more affordable health care and committing ourselves to equipping the next generation of Latino leaders with the educational tools essential for success.”

Meanwhile, in Iowa, Obama rival Bill Richardson unveiled two new TV ads that tout the New Mexico governor as promoter of jobs and economic development. Richardson, who speaks Spanish well himself, later this week is expected to unveil his own federal proposal for economic and job growth in Iowa.

The text of the Obama ad, as provided by his campaign, is below.

by John McCormick and Rick Pearson

AMES, Iowa -- The candidates and their supporters (and throngs of reporters) are still waiting to hear the results of today's Iowa Straw Poll.

The results were supposed to be available at 7 p.m. Central, but those gathered around former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's stage were just told it will be at least another 10 minutes.

Update1: At 7:32 p.m., Republican officials said they were "close" to reporting the results.
Update2: At 7:41 p.m., there are still no results.
Update3: At 7:49 p.m., ditto.
Update4: At 8:01 p.m., the numbers are now more than an hour delayed. Things are going to start to get especially tricky for East Coast newspapers trying to make their Sunday edition deadlines.
Update5: State party officials now say the results are delayed due to electronic voting machine problems. About 1,500 ballots need to be recounted because of a problem with one machine.
Update6: At 8:11 p.m., party officials said they were about to announce the results. But they seem to be stalling a bit, still, with no numbers as of 8:19 p.m.
Update7: Mitt Romney has won the Straw Poll.

by Rick Pearson

AMES, Iowa—Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the early favorite to win the Iowa Straw Poll, took to the stage of a crowded Hilton Coliseum this afternoon and told thousands of his yellow-shirt clad supporters about his love for Iowa.

But some may question whether his feelings for the state are worth beans.

"I remember many years ago coming across this state on a train, looking out the window, seeing all that tall corn, all those green beans, and they were growing tall and big—soybeans that is," Romney said, quickly catching himself. "And I said, 'God must love Iowa.'"

Romney also restated his call for zeroing out taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains and suggested that an economic plan offered by Democratic candidate John Edwards would only provide $250 a year to an average family.

"In his case, it won't even buy a haircut," Romney said in yet another reference to the former North Carolina senator's ballyhooed grooming habits.

by John McCormick

AMES, Iowa -- Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas was the last speaker inside the Hilton Coliseum this afternoon, as organizers urged people at the Iowa Straw Poll to go vote before the 6 p.m. deadline.

And sticking to his main campaign theme, he presented himself as an ardent opponent of abortion rights "who will provide that fifth vote, to overturn Roe vs. Wade and end this night of wrong."

Brownback also stressed his devotion to strengthening families, saying stronger families would reduce poverty and crime, while helping improve education.

"You can raise a good child in a single parent environment and we should celebrate when it happens, but it is more difficult," he said. "The best place to raise a child is between a mom and a dad bonded together for life."

Brownback said faith also needs a bigger place in the nation. "We should be able to say 'one nation under God' in our flag salute without someone threatening to sue us," he said. "Faith is a good thing, not a bad thing."

By Rick Pearson

AMES, Iowa—In the midst of the tents, children's inflatable rides, T-shirts, barbecue sandwiches and crowds, there is an area devoted to the quixotic presidential campaign of Chicago businessman John Cox.

But while crowds plied into the adjoining tents of better known Republican contends, five people sat beneath a small tent for Cox campaign, surrounding a lone and lonely snow cone machine.

The Cox area also had a fake hot air balloon with a banner promoting his candidacy.

In a speech to straw poll attendees, where he was greeted with polite applause, Cox assailed the career politicians of Washington.

by John McCormick

AMES, Iowa -- The potential candidate is not here, but that did not keep the FredHeads from showing up.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is on the GOP straw poll ballot today and is expected to visit Iowa for the first time of his pseudo-candidacy late next week.

Four of his supporters, meanwhile, rented a $1,000 spot for a table to distribute bumper stickers and buttons for their guy outside Hilton Coliseum.

"People have been very positive," said Jeff Mitchell, a business systems analyst from Memphis. "We are going to have a respectable showing for someone who is not a candidate."

Mitchell was joined by three other Thompson fans from College Station, Texas.

As one of his supporters caught a quick nap, the three others answered questions about the potential candidate and showed a PowerPoint presentation and video about his background.

Mitchell said the money for the table was raised on the Internet. "If he is in the top five, I'll be happy," he said.

With 11 names on the ballot today, the results are expected at 7 p.m.

by Jason George

AMES, Iowa – Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee traded talking points for bass notes today, when his band "Capitol Offense" took the stage at the Iowa Straw Poll.

The music blared rock-n-roll hits of yesteryear like "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Mustang Sally," and there was no mistaking the event for Chicago's Lollapalooza.

For example, a man up front waved a sign that read "Defeat Hillary Clinton and Jane Fonda."

An Elvis impersonator, in a blue jumpsuit, jumped on stage and joined the band for a thumping rendition of "Johnny B. Goode." But the Elvis character made it clear he was in Iowa to support Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, not Huckabee.

"Elvis or not vote Huckabee!" the governor exclaimed.

Huckabee formed "Capitol Offense" around 1993 when he was lieutenant governor, and the band is made up mostly of former staff members. "We were sitting around and realized that we could all play instruments," said Chris Pyle, the band's drummer.

That's Huckabee on the bass. Jason George photo.

By Rick Pearson

AMES, Iowa -- In addition to the tents on behalf of all the presidential candidates, there is at least one for a non-presidential candidate -- one-time Calumet City, Ill., resident and unsuccessful 2004 Republican U.S. Senate nominee Alan Keyes.

Keyes has said he would consider a run for the presidency if enough grassroots support exists for a candidacy. He's run for the GOP presidential nomination before and got 14 percent support in the 2000 Iowa caucuses.

In fact, a brochure being handed out at the "We need Alan Keyes for President" booth gives the background of the firebrand conservative commentator and notes his 1996 and 2000 presidential candidacies.

"It's no exaggeration to say that our very future as a country hangs by a thread," the brochure warns.

But the brochure's biography of Keyes doesn't mention a word about his disastrous 2004 Illinois Senate run, when the Marylander was imported by the Illinois Republican Party to serve as the substitute nominee to replace disgraced Jack Ryan.

In fact, Keyes helped propel another presidential candidacy, that of Democrat Barack Obama. Obama defeated Keyes for the Illinois U.S. Senate seat, getting 70 percent of the vote to the Republican's 27 percent.

By Rick Pearson

AMES, Iowa—Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson exhorted supporters to vote for him in today's Iowa Straw Poll, delivering an address tinged with melancholy 'thank yous" as his presidential campaign faced decision day.

"I love you, I thank you and we had a great ride, ladies and gentlemen," Thompson told his motorcycle-riding backers who rode Milwaukee-made Harley-Davidson's into the straw poll grounds at Iowa State University.

Thompson has said that unless he finishes in the top two in the straw poll balloting, he's ending his run for the White House.

"Today's our day. Today's the beginning of really, the travel to the White House, and I need each and everyone of your support," Thompson told a couple of hundred people beneath a tent at the edge of the straw poll grounds. "I thank you and I love you and I want you to vote today and if they give you two ballots, I won't look."

Thompson said the straw poll was "a tremendous opportunity to show the country that Iowa--not the political punsters, the political pundits in Washington--make the selection. You make the selection and let's make it happen."