Obama leads in Iowa? wait and see

A new poll from the Des Moines Register newspaper apparently is now giving Barack Obama a lead of around 7 points over Senator Clinton in Iowa. It is worth mentioning that this poll has a good track record from past years, but it is not the only poll out there. Also- there are still 2 days left, and it is possible for people to still change their minds. The same poll gives Huckabee a slight lead over his opponents in the Republican contest in Iowa. Huckabee? Yes, you read that right. But again, people can change their minds. It can also be said that both these putative front runners may find it less welcoming at contests in other states. Even if they both post wins in Iowa, Iowa is not the whole USA.

I am not going to make too much of this. What we seem to have is a horse race, in both political parties. How often do you see that. In one way it's nice. Gee, maybe we could actually end up with the Best candidate in both parties? Could be. Or the horse race analogy may not work ultimately. We may end up with the Best 2 candidates, or we may end up with the 2 candidates who are best at dissing their political opponents. That talent has little to do with good governance. Let's hope that the primary campaigns will evolve to promote the best rather than the worst in the candidates. But that will depend on us the voters. When you see negative ads please be discerning, and remind yourself that those ads are coming from someone who probably has his own weaknesses. Nobody is perfect in the world of politics.