A TALE OF TWO JOHNS: The first delegates of the 2004 presidential election have been awarded, as John Kerry pulled 38% to win the Iowa caucuses. John Edwards, who like Kerry fared poorly in polls prior to the last week, finished a strong second, with erstwhile frontrunner Howard Dean coming in third with just 18%. Dick Gephardt came in fourth, and is expected to leave the race on Tuesday.
Kerry, initially viewed as the "establishment frontrunner," fell from favor in the latter half of 2003, due to both his tendency to flip-flop on almost every major issue, as well as the concurrent ascendancy of Dean. Voters apparently realized that Dean is all-but-unelectable, and figured Kerry and Edwards would both be stronger national candidates.
It's far from over for Dean, of course, but he didn't help himself with a truly bizarre concession speech, in which he 1) classlessly took the stage while Edwards, who beat him, was still speaking, 2) screamed and literally howled in celebration as though he had won, as opposed to blowing a lead and losing by 20 points, and 3) gave a rambling speech in which he mentioned at least 30 different states, including- somewhat arrogantly- the home states of his seven primary opponents, in order of their current poll standing. All the while sounding a lot like a pro wrestling villain giving a "heel promo." I'm not usually someone who says Dean is nuts, but yes, tonight he was nuts.
And with this caucus we say goodbye to the long political career of Dick Gephardt, by all accounts a good man and an honest politician who will be greatly missed in public life.
On to the State of the Union, and then New Hampshire...(and South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico and California and Texas and New York!)