The New Republic

All Aboard [Thomas Beaumont, Des Moines Register]: “Iowa independents
are expected to follow the lead set by their national peers in 2006.
Nationwide, independents backed Democrats heavily in the watershed 2006
elections, in part out of a rejection of President Bush and a loud cry
for change that has continued into the 2008 campaign, strategists in
both parties agree.” 

Thompson to Tap Out? [Jonathan Martin and Mike Allen, Politico]:
“Thompson’s departure could shake up the race more than his continued
presence. Friends and advisers said they have long considered it likely
that if the lobbyist-actor is forced from the race he would endorse
John McCain his former Senate colleague who lately has been staging a
political revival in New Hampshire.”

HRC, HR-Do [Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic]: “Twenty minutes after Ben Smith posted that [Hillary]'d stolen the ‘Fired up, ready to go’ line, Howard Wolfson went on Hardball and said that the great thing about Iowa was that Iowans were getting a chance to 'check under the hood...kick the tires.' Chris Matthews told him with a smirk, 'You stole that line directly from Obama.' "

Romney a Roll of the Dice [Joe Klein, Time]: "As George H.W. Bush learned, you can't run for President pretending to
be one thing and succeed in office as someone else (Bush ran as a
viciously negative, antitax populist instead of the thoughtful,
tax-raising moderate that he actually was). Romney reminds me a bit of
Bush the Elder. He seems very intelligent. His candidacy had real
potential. But I don't think Romney believes a word he says."

Get Yer Spin Here [Chuck Todd, NBC News]: "A solid win [for John Edwards]: Credit will be given to the fact that of the three
candidates, no one's been more focused on domestic issues than Edwards.
He's done a more credible job of "feeling the pain" of economically
distressed Iowans than any other candidate, and as the economy becomes
a bigger issue with local voters, Edwards' populist stance has looked
prescient."

The Iowa Textbook [Chase Martyn, Iowa Independent] "In the final days of the caucuses, political observers face a barrage
of numbers emanating from Iowa -- from poll numbers to turnout
projections, from newspaper endorsement totals to delegate counts, and
beyond.  Myriad chyrons offer cable news viewers tantalizingly
simplistic explanations of the Iowa caucuses, a political tradition
that is just too chaotic to be reduced to one chart or graph....With caucus night nearly upon us, now seems like a good time to check
the scoreboard for a few of the numbers we have been watching over the
course of the campaign."

 --Dayo Olopade

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