Monday, August 13, 2007

Ames Over

The Ames Straw Poll took place to a national yawn on Saturday. Mitt Romney had to win; he did. Tommy Thompson is bowing out because he did so poorly. Mike Huckabee was catapulted to top-of-the-second-tier status with his 2nd-place showing, but it won't be enough to make the Arkansan a top-tier candidate.

The real winners here are McCain and Giuliani who probably colluded in sitting out what would otherwise have been a vital contest. With those two sitting and Fred Thompson not participating, it became a practice run for Romney's organization. The only real loss suffered by McCain and Giuliani is that some Iowans may feel 'disrespected' and vote accordingly in a few months - when it matters. With Fred Thompson's candidacy still a matter of innuendo, he will probably escape unscathed.

Yawn.

No comments: