In my role as a cable television political analyst and as a political junkie, my take on the results in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary is simply this: The political establishment on both sides of the aisle took a punch in the nose.

Many of us sensed this developing as early as last August, on the occasion of the Iowa GOP straw poll in Ames. I attended the straw poll as a neutral observer and was struck by what I saw.

For those who may need a refresher course, the Iowa straw poll is a concoction of the Iowa Republican Party to fill its coffers every four years. Attendees pay for the right to cast a vote for their candidate in a non-binding political beauty contest to which the media gives an extraordinary amount of coverage. Candidates pull out all stops to get their supporters there.

The relevance of the event is debated every four years. Phil Gramm tied Bob Dole in 1995, and was an early casualty of real voting in the primary season months down the road. This year, John McCain tallied all of 101 votes, outpacing only a guy named John Cox. Yet it is perceived as an organizationally mandatory stop on the way to the nomination. Read more...

Labels: Decision '08, J.C. Watts