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Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul built a nationwide army of fiercely loyal, enthusiastic, young supporters during his 2008 Presidential run. It appears Paul is hoping to expand upon that base and possibly gear up for another run in 2012. Paul visits Ames tonight for speech at Iowa State University....

Pawlenty hit Obama on the porkulus bill, ever-rising unemployment, broken promises of bipartisanship, and the enormous federal deficit. "We've got a Democrat-controlled Congress messing around with a miserable healthcare bill. They should be focused like a laser on jobs, not acting like a manure spreader in a wind storm," Pawlenty said to laughter and applause.

The train left the station 22 months ago. Barack Obama's January 3, 2008 surprise victory in the Iowa caucuses established launched the junior senator from Illinois as a serious presidential candidate, at the same time it showed that Hillary Clinton was beatable. The POTUS returned to Iowa in July, August and finally on Halloween just a few just a few days before the November election where he made it clear that Barack Obama and the state of Iowa enjoyed a special relationship: "On the day of the Iowa caucus, my faith in the American people was vindicated, and what you...

The Iowa Family Policy Center is trying to lure Sarah Palin to town for a speech next month, and they have asked a group of Palin backers to help pay for the appearance.

I can’t believe I’m rooting for Barack Obama. But it’s sort of like rooting for the Cleveland Indians, whom I really don’t like, to prevent a World Series appearance by the New York Yankees, whom I really really don’t like. There is much about Obama that should give any American pause, and a conservative American for sure. But it is so gratifying to see Hillary Clinton lose – finish third, even – that you just can’t help but look at Obama post-Iowa and feel happy that he did whatever he did to pull it off.

Why do we give so much value to what a state with one percent of the population thinks? The absurdity of this is illustrated by cartoons that can be found at Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index. The site does not allow free hotlinking, however here are some links to a few of the good cartoons: Daryl CagleBrian FairringtonNate BeelerPat Bagley There are more good cartoons here.

[A reply to Michael Medved's "Stop Lying About Huckabee and Evangelicals!" article posted in Townhall] Evangelicals were 3.24 times more likely to vote for Huckabee than non-Evangelicals. Let me repeat, Evangelicals were 3.24 times MORE likely to vote for Huckabee than non-Evangelicals. Spin it however you like but that's an incredible difference when they comprised 60% of the Republican caucus. Here's a breakdown from the Iowa Republican vote: According to news reports, 60% of Republican voters in the Iowa Caucus were Evangelicals. Of these, 47% of them voted for Huckabee. X = 60% x 47% X = 28.2% So, Evangelicals...

Watching Fox news and the lead at 3:00 PM EST, was a rant by Shepherd and Carl, saying how Iowa doesn't matter, as Roger Ailes and Fox News spent millions covering it. I guess Roger & Co, at Fox will not like the results(Huckabee and Obama winning and getting momentum). Roger Ailes and his friend Rush Limbaugh, are not amused, thus this little hissy fit.

Iowa Caucuses Iowa voters tomorrow night will go to their local precinct caucuses to cast their lot with a presidential candidate...." Democrats: This is a three-way contest among Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.), and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.). It's possible that there are only three survivors out of Iowa for the Democrats and that the second-tier candidates will be gone by New Hampshire. 1. The similarities between Obama 2008 and Howard Dean in 2004 are real and could show themselves Thursday night. Obama is the new, fresh face in the race with youthful, enthusiastic, and idealistic...

Mitt believers, is that headache you have just the hangover from last nights celebration or is it today's polls! The "gold standard" poll of the Des Moines Register has Huck with a 6 point lead with two days to go! Today's Zogby daily tracking poll has Huck building a lead for the past few days. Huckabee has the "big mo".

Edwards have been receiving a lot of political coverage of late and analysts have speculated that he could possibly sneak away with the race in Iowa. Edwards has injected a tough populist them in recent weeks and has even clashed with the Obama camp on issues concerning trade, Iraq and even education. Clinton has refrained from being too negative in recent days and have been content to see Edwards and Obama go at it as all of the candidates make their closing arguments. One thing is certain, all of the candidates have to campaign up until the closing hours of...

The following two new TV ads will air this week. "Tax Cuts Matter" will air in New Hampshire and "Our Values" will air in Iowa.

Guest Editorial Alexander J. Madison - December 31, 2007 Dear Iowegians, Every presidential election season, your state has the opportunity to help shape the election going forward. Unfortunately, too many times, you have selected a dud during the Iowa Caucuses. In 1976, you picked Gerald Ford, proponent of the ERA and abortion rights, over a very conservative Ronald Reagan. In 1980, you chose a very moderate Bush over Reagan. And twice you picked a milquetoast named Bob Dole. Granted, the choices are sometimes between dud and duddier, but this year is different. This year you have a chance to select...

INDIANOLA, Iowa (CNN) — He may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but Superman can’t caucus. Actor and Iowa native Brandon Routh is better-known for his role as Superman, but Sunday night he made a cameo appearance on the campaign trail, speaking on behalf of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama at a rally in Indianola, Iowa. Routh says he is "sad" that he can't caucus any more because he no longer lives in the Hawkeye State, but he says he's "excited" by Obama's ability to unite the country. He also says he likes that Obama is not...

What will be the deciding issue for Iowa GOP voters on January 3rd? According to KCCI-TV in Des Moines who commissioned a poll to find out, Iowans indicated it will be the future moral direction of the country. Northeastern Republicans and radio shows which emanate from the E-fax studios in Orange County California may despise it - but that is the number one issue on the minds of GOP voters in Iowa. The Beltway-Manhattan elite can cluck and curse all they want but the reality is the largest chunk of GOP voters in Iowa (and also much reflective of the...

Excerpt - Ice and snowstorms have closed Iowa's airports and highways in recent days, stopping even the most determined presidential candidates in their campaign tracks. But Thursday, caucus night here, the weather may be more than an annoyance. Political analysts say the atmospheric conditions could have a serious impact on how candidates fare in this first step in the nation's presidential nomination process. Right now, meteorologists are expecting a balmy (by Midwestern standards) high of 41 degrees, sunny conditions and a 10% chance of precipitation. That forecast suits Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, and Mitt Romney on the Republican...

Mike Huckabee loves homespun tales and self-deprecating jokes. Mitt Romney basks in PowerPoint slides and statistics. Mr. Huckabee, a firefighter's son, is a Southerner born and bred. Mr. Romney, son of a CEO-turned-governor, roamed from Michigan to Massachusetts to Utah. They embody two wings of the Republican Party -- social conservatives and economic conservatives -- that sometimes sit uneasily. While John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson are competitive in national polls, all three are focusing on states after Iowa. The kickoff Jan. 3 caucus here is largely between Messrs. Romney and Huckabee. Mr. Huckabee displays his Southern Baptist religion...

http://fredfile.fred08.com/blog/2007/video-steve-king-why-i-endorsed-fred-thompson/

Iowans have a profound opportunity and a great responsibility to make the first in the nation recommendation for president to the rest of America. Of 300 million Americans, one in 100 are Iowans. Of Iowans, only about one in 15 will attend either the Democrat or the Republican caucus. Your vote in the Iowa caucus will likely have 1500 times more impact than that of the average American. This is a profound responsibility. It is our duty to determine the most important issues and set criteria for how we make our decisions. Iowans have a unique and historic opportunity to...

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Hillary Clinton predicted Saturday that just electing her President will cut the price of oil. When the world hears her commitment at her inauguration about ending American dependence on foreign fuel, Clinton says, oil-pumping countries will lower prices to stifle America's incentive to develop alternative energy. "I predict to you, the oil-producing countries will drop the price of oil," Clinton said, speaking at the Manchester YWCA. "They will once again assume, once the cost pressure is off, Americans and our political process will recede."

(DES MOINES, IOWA) A middle-age Iowa voter has filed a $12 million lawsuit against both Hillary and Bill Clinton for mental whiplash. According to papers filed yesterday in Iowa’s Supreme Court, Andrew Wynehart of Spring Hill, Iowa, has asked that the Clintons compensate him for lost wages, medical bills and emotional distress as a result of a series of mental injuries sustained repeatedly over the last six weeks. These injuries, termed “mental whiplash,” have been defined by Wynehart’s lawyers as, “the coherent, unexpected misdirection of the brain leading to cranial blur.” Wynehart has submitted two MRIs as evidence taken before...

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- At a campaign event Monday, Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson rejected the idea of allowing illegal immigrants to earn U.S. citizenship through military service. Anna Castaner, an Indianola resident, posed the question to Thompson during an event inside a coffee shop. Thompson drew applause from the crowd when he said he wouldn't support it. "They need to go back and abide by the law," Thompson said. The former U.S. senator from Tennessee said the country could have "enforcement by attrition." He called for securing the American border and stopping so-called sanctuary cities from blocking the enforcement of...

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Conservative and credible. Those were the double-barrel credentials former U.S. senator and current Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson emphasized Sunday evening. Thompson spoke to around 100 people at a Veterans Day meet-and-greet at the Mount Pleasant Moose Lodge that followed a similar event in Burlington, which drew a slightly larger crowd. To his Mount Pleasant audience, Thompson painted a picture of a GOP facing trouble in 2008, with control of the White House in doubt, 21 senators facing re-election (compared to just 12 for Democrats) and many moderate voters swinging to the other side. "I don't mean...

Burlington, Ia. — Republican Fred Thompson told potential supporters on Sunday that he’s running for president as a champion of ideals held by all Americans: a strong national defense, adherence to the rule of law and a market economy. “And immigration laws that actually work,” Thompson said at the outset. “That’s not just a Republican idea, I don’t think.” Speaking at Big Muddy’s restaurant in Burlington, the former Tennessee senator said he would be able to secure the votes of independents in a general election. Thompson criticized what he called Democrats’ insistence on infusing government into everything. “Would you trust...

The first Rasmussen Reports poll of the Iowa Republican Caucus for 2008 finds former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney enjoying a six-point lead while former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee are virtually tied for second. Romney attracts 25% of the vote from Likely Caucus Participants, Thompson earns 19%, and Huckabee is at 18% in the poll. National frontrunner and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the only other Republican in double digits at 13%. Arizona Senator John McCain, once considered by some to be the GOP frontrunner, gets just 6% of the vote. Kansas...

No posting permitted from Des Moines Register - Link only. Here is link: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071006/NEWS09/71005048/1001&lead=1

Though America got where it is today by following a pattern of freedom and prosperity followed, Americans at a present political crossroads may be in danger of choosing instead a path that leads to inevitable demise, said Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson Monday in Marshalltown. Thompson, however, advocated adhering to the country’s foundational principles and doing what is right. “How often, when you do the right thing, it turns out to be good politics too?” he said to a full room at the Tremont on Main. At the core of his campaign, Thompson said he stands behind a federalism based...

In South Carolina’s Republican Presidential Primary, the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds Fred Thompson leading Rudy Giuliani 24% to 20%. That’s little changed from a month ago when Thompson held a 23% to 21% advantage. Mitt Romney has moved into third place and is now supported by 15% of South Carolina’s Likely Primary Voters while John McCain is barely in double digits at 11% support. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee earns 3% of the South Carolina vote while four other candidates split 5% and 22% are undecided. Sixty-three percent (63%) of the state’s Republican Primary voters say that Giuliani...

Candidate Says U.S. Must Return To Basics. Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson said Thursday that he's ready to work hard in Iowa to make up for lost time. Thompson was in Des Moines a day after announcing his White House run. He said he still has enough time to get out his message. "The preliminaries are over, the game is beginning as far as I'm concerned and I'm looking forward to it," he said. He said he skipped the debates in an effort to reach more people. "I want to reach them as directly as I...

Mitt Romney walked away with the top spot at the Ames Straw Poll held on the campus of Iowa State University. The win boosted the former Massachusetts governor’s standing as the party’s frontrunner in Iowa, although attendance at this first show of Iowa campaign strength appeared to fall short of expectations. Romney, who heavily outspent his opponents preparing for the fundraising event, received 4,516 votes or 31.6 percent. Roughly 30,000 to 33,000 Republicans attended the state party fundraiser on the Iowa State University campus, short of organizers’ goal of exceeding the crowd of 38,000 who attended the most recent straw...

Republican presidential candidates transformed the campus of Iowa State University into a conservative carnival Saturday, competing for votes by offering free soda and barbecue and a promise of shade for the thousands who braved the 100-degree heat to attend this year's straw poll. The activists came by the busload, more than 30,000 in all, for the first voting of the 2008 presidential campaign. But for many, casting ballots was an afterthought as they made their way past huge stages with live bands, inflatable bouncy rooms for the kids and fair-style booths touting one conservative cause after another. The Iowa Right...

(CBS/AP) In a surprisingly strong attack, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Republican rival Rudy Giuliani had turned New York City into a sanctuary for illegal immigrants during his two terms as mayor. Immigration is a hot-button issue in the GOP and may play especially well in Iowa, an early battleground state where the federal government has raided meat processing plants employing illegals, and where some longtime residents feel their pay is being undercut by cheaper-working immigrants. "If you look at lists compiled on Web sites of sanctuary cities, New York is at the top of the list when Mayor...

DES MOINES -- Although heated at the outset, the GOP debate quickly settled into a mild-mannered Sunday morning affair that saw the Republican presidential hopefuls training their fire on would-be Democratic opponents more than on each other. On issues ranging from the war in Iraq to health care to taxes, the top-tier contenders were mostly of a like mind during the 90-minute session held at Drake University and broadcast on ABC News. The session did, though, get off to a contentious start when moderator George Stephanopoulos opened things up by playing a "robo-call" that Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback's campaign has...

Republican presidential contender Tom Tancredo on Monday said "it's not impossible" to deport the estimated 12 million immigrants living in the United States illegally. Such action would take years and would be difficult but could be accomplished, he said. The Colorado congressman, however, argued that tougher border security and a crackdown on employers would reduce the need for mass deportations and encourage such immigrants to return to their native countries willingly. "It's attrition through enforcement," he said. Tancredo described his views on illegal immigration and other issues during a meeting with Des Moines Register editors and reporters. Illegal immigration is...

Voters are torn between competing cravings: Change or experience in 2008? They are demanding something new, but there is comfort in the tried and true. The public's low opinion of Washington and growing concern about the direction of the country point to 2008 being a "change" election, one like the campaigns of 1974 and 1992 when people looked for a marked departure from the status quo. But the war in Iraq and the rise of global terrorism make for an anxious electorate and could turn this into a "war" election, one like the campaigns of 1944 and 2004 when voters...

As part of a campaign stop planned for Iowa last week, Rudy Giuliani's Des Moines office called Deb and Jerry VonSprecken to see if they'd host an event at their farm. They agreed. After several days of planning and a security check, though, Deb was told to call Giuliani's New York office: "They wanted to know our assets," she revealed, and added that she and Jerry have a modest 80 acre farm and raise cattle. Later she received a call from Tony Delgado at the Des Monies location. "Tony said, 'I'm sorry, you aren't worth a million dollars and he...

Sure, the Iowa Caucus is a long way off, but it's never too early to speculate: My sources on the ground tell me Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is making major inroads in Iowa. ...And this is consistent with what National Journal's Mark Ambinder recently wrote: "(Huckabee) is the race's only credible evangelical Protestant in a state where Christian conservatives generally dominate the caucuses. And his outreach to these activists and to key Iowa GOP insiders is more broad and deep than has been reported. With denominational lines breaking down, his Catholic outreach will be decisive. He's fantastic on the...

From the Iowa Caucus Poll at Krusty Konservative Blog in Iowa - If the Iowa Republican Caucus was held today who would you support? Current results -  George Allen  8%  68  Sam Brownback  2%  19  Bill Frist  1%  9  Newt Gingrich  3%  28  Rudy Giuliani  3%  28  Chuck Hagel  1%  12  Mike Huckabee  30%   262   John McCain  9%  76  George Pataki  13%  116  Condoleezza Rice   5%  41  Mitt Romney  25%  215 874 votes total

DES MOINES, Iowa - Potential White House candidates are calling Iowa's top political operatives. Trips to the Midwest are on the schedule. Personal notes to the state's top Democrats and Republicans are in the mail. AP Photo   In the realm of nonstop presidential politics, this is the slow time, when 2008 hopefuls are putting out early feelers in Iowa, a state critical to any White House aspirant. The calendar may show two years and 10 months to the next round of caucuses, but the courting continues. Consider the experience of John Norris, who worked as a field director for...

On the 27th of August, I went in print and in electrons to predict that the Kerry Campaign was over. Most other political pundits, except those whose income depends on the pretense that Kerry has a chance, have since reached the same conclusion. In the meantime, Dan Rather has ceased to exist (though no one has told him yet), and CBS and the “old media” may also go down in flames. But that’s not what I came to talk about. I came to talk about the election of 2008. Last weekend I was sitting on a dock by a TVA...

<p>MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Despite being credited with breathing life into his presidential bid by pushing positive themes, Sen. John Edwards' campaign circulated a confidential briefing book earlier this month that instructed supporters on how to attack his Democratic rivals during the Iowa caucuses.</p>

Howard Dean's bizarre concession speech Monday night, where he roared about winning future primaries and ended with a final, screeching, "Yeeehaahhhh," left more than a few journalists wondering about the emotional stability of the former Democratic presidential front-runner. "[Dean's speech] was a little strange," Newsweek's Jonathan Alter said Tuesday. "He looked like he was off his medication or something." "He was just trying to be feisty for his supporters," Alter told radio host Don Imus. "But he just went way over the top. He was about as presidential as Howard Beale in 'Network,'" the liberal columnist observed. Alter said the...

( Des Moines)-- A Democratic rally at the Drake University Olmstead Center urged young Iowans to get out and vote. The rally -- in support of Howard Dean-- was targeted toward high school and college students, a group known for not turning out to vote. The rally featured comedian Janene Garafalo and classic rock star Joan Jett, but was interrupted by a surprise visit from some unwanted guests. A group of college Republicans at their Midwest caucus leadership conference -- being held in the same building -- heard about the Democratic event, and crashed the rally. "There are seven of...

Presidential hopefuls await Iowa verdict01:36 PM CST on Monday, January 19, 2004Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa's caucus campaign drew to a close Monday afternoon as four Democratic candidates made a push for victory in the suspenseful opening act of the 2004 presidential election. In the closest Iowa contest since 1988, former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts fought for the state's 45 delegates -- out of 2,162 needed to claim the nomination -- and for momentum in New Hampshire's primary eight days...

Rep. Kucinich of Ohio just said on MSNBC that if he hears from the early estimates this afternoon that he is not getting 15% that he will throw his Iowa support to US Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.He did not comment about if he was dropping out of the race or not.

Daily Details for Des Moines, IA for    Hourly Forecast   More Details 9 AM 12 PM 3 PM 6 PM 9 PM 12 AM 4°FFeels Like -8°F 11°FFeels Like 1°F 16°FFeels Like 6°F 14°FFeels Like 6°F 12°FFeels Like 4°F 11°FFeels Like 2°F Day  Night  Averages & Records High:17°F Mostly Sunny Wind: From the North Northeast at 9 mph Precip: 0 % Max. Humidity: 46 % UV Index: 2 Minimal Low:5°F Mostly Cloudy Wind: From the East Northeast at 5 mph Precip: 10 % Max. Humidity: 51 % Sunrise: 7:37 AM Sunset: 5:14 PM Avg. High: 29°F Avg. Low:...

Political Rallies End in Brawl Two political rallies turned into a brawl Saturday night in Des Moines. A Democratic rally at Drake's Olmstead Center, urged young Iowans to get out and vote. It was targeted toward high school and college students. A group known for not voting. The rally featured comedian Janene Garafalo and classic rock star Joan Jett, but it got a surprise visit from some unwanted guests. A group of college republicans at their Midwest caucus leadership conference heard about the rally and stormed in. "There are seven of us who worked really hard at putting this conference...

<p>Presidential suitors are vying for the affections of Democrats in Iowa, and the fair state's rigorous caucuses -- this year's take place Monday -- are not for the faint of heart. It takes some passion to stand for hours in cramped spaces just to declare one's preferences.</p>

<p>DES MOINES, Iowa — The race for the Democratic presidential nomination remains in a statistical dead heat in the vital Iowa caucuses but it has a surprise twist -- Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (search) has taken the lead, according to the latest tracking poll, released Thursday.</p>

FORT DODGE, Iowa, Jan. 14 — Former ambassador Carol Moseley Braun plans to drop out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination and endorse Howard Dean on Thursday, giving him an important symbolic boost just four days before Iowa's leadoff caucuses, Dean campaign aides said on Wednesday. Ms. Braun, a former senator from Illinois and ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, had failed to garner much money or support in polls, but had distinguished herself with eloquent performances in several nationally televised debates. She and Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont, had developed a mutually respectful relationship throughout...