Iowa

I have no idea who will win in Iowa or how the places will sort out. We'll know in a few hours.

What I do know is that the Iowa process has provided a good look at the candidates.

On the Democratic side, I definitely find Barack Obama the most appealing candidate, despite the fact I don't agree with him on many policy prescriptions. He is the anti-Bush, and that's what we need now. I'm not impressed by those questioning his experience, because a lack of experience doesn't seem to to be our problem. Indeed, some of our biggest disasters during this administration have been caused by men of experience like Cheney and Rumsfeld. No, what we have lacked is good judgment, and on that score Barack Obama seems like a man of very good judgment.
I would find Edwards an acceptable choice for president if it came to that, compared to most of the likely Republicans. Clinton, on the other hand, would be a tough sell for me. If she's matched up against Giuliani or Romney I suppose she might get my vote. Maybe.
I respect Chris Dodd and what he has done, as well as Biden, but neither seems to have the traction needed to succeed. Richardson has been unimpressive.

On the GOP side I have respect for the enthusiasm of Ron Paul and hope he does well, because he's the anti-Bush on the GOP side, although I don't think big L libertarianism is practical or desirable.
I would love to see McCain as the nominee. It's just too damned bad the Bushies thwarted him last time. Think how much better off we would have been if McCain were president on 9/11. sigh.
Romney has turned out awful. If he had run as the moderate, good-management Republican that was governor of Massachusetts I would have been a big backer. Instead he's revealed himself to be utterly without principle. An empty suit. A bad TV movie's version of what a president would look like.
Giuliani is completely unacceptable. We need to roll back Bush excesses, not cement them.
Thompson would have been acceptable, if he had ever really decided to run.
Huckabee is problematic. I can't say I'm comfortable with fundamentalists after Bush because I don't want a president who ignores factual evidence in favor of "belief." It's a hard world and we need to be clear-eyed and fact-based.