John Edwards lagged behind his Democratic rivals in a survey of voters entering caucuses by The Associated Press and the television networks.\ \ Iowans rendered their judgments in meetings at 1,781 precincts from Adel to Zwingle, in schools, firehouses and community centers where the candidates themselves could not follow.\ \ In interviews as they entered the caucuses, more than half of all the Republicans said they were either born-again or evangelical Christians, and they liked Huckabee more than any of his rivals. Romney led handily among the balance of the Iowa Republican voters, according to the survey.exit entrance votes — RSM
UPDATE 7:55 p.m.:
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Voting has begun, as has the long wait for results. Democratic results here, Republican results here.
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Big news here in The Washington Times newsroom? The Chinese food has arrived. I’m having the veggie spring rolls.
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— RSM
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UPDATE 7:45 p.m.:
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Michelle Malkin is posting Iowa predictions or, as she says, “Place your bets.”
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Remember: Politics is a game, just like football. You cheer for your team and it’s always more fun if you bet on it. The difference is that when your team loses in football, the opponent doesn’t get to raise your taxes or invade foreign countries.
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— RSM
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UPDATE 7:35 p.m.:
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Hot Air’s Iowa Caucus open thread is now open.
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— RSM
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UPDATE 7:25 p.m.:
Contrary to news reports from state and national media, three of Iowa’s Democratic campaigns want their supporters to know that no blanket campaign directive has been issued, instructing supporters to throw support behind a different candidate during tonight’s caucus.news
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— RSM
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UPDATE 7:10 p.m.:
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The second-choice, who’s-going-to-quit guessing game:
- Is Chris Dodd toast?
- Fred Thompson dropping out? No way.
- Richardson backing Obama?
- Biden backing Obama? Nope.
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— RSM
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UPDATE 6:50 p.m.:
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Eric Kleefeld of TPM Election Central has posted his “Idiot’s Guide to the Democratic Caucuses.”
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Eric probably doesn’t mean to imply that Iowa Democrats are idiots.
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— RSM
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UPDATE 6:40 p.m.:
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Ross Douthat of the Atlantic Monthly says of Mitt Romney: “And by golly, he annoys the ever-living heck out of me,” and Rod Dreher says he “just can’t abide the guy.” Something to do with this video:
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What’s so annoying? Are they just jealous of Mitt’s great hair?
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— RSM
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UPDATE 6:20 p.m.:
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Remember the anti-Romney attack ad that the Huckabee camp decided to cancel at the last minute? They aired it anyway:
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The ad Huckabee said he decided not to run has now appeared at least three times in Iowa anyway. It accuses Romney of being “dishonest” but shades the facts in the process.\ \MemeorandumIn another ad Huckabee claims to have signed the most broad-based tax cut in Arkansas history. But as we’ve noted repeatedly, he signed bigger tax increases than cuts.
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— RSM
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UPDATE 5:30 p.m.:
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At Townhall.com, Jonathan Garthwaite says Amanda Carpenter caught Huckabee campaign chief Ed Rollins planning more “bare knuckles” attacks against Mitt Romney:
Overheard Rollins’ conversation while dining in a restaurant called Winston’s located closely to Huckabee’s Iowa headquarters and took notes on my computer. Below is a compilation of what I heard:\ \11th CommandmentHe distinctly talked about going negative in South Carolina and told someone on the phone to ‘put some good in there if you have to, with the bad. Do what you gotta do.” … (MORE)
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— RSM
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UPDATE 5:55 p.m.:
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Hot Air links the Carpenter item and headlines it: You stay classy, Huckabee camp
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— RSM
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UPDATE 6:10 p.m.:
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The ethics of reporting an overheard conversation can be debated, but meanwhile, Carpenter’s got an above-the-banner Drudge link.
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— RSM
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* * *MORE UPDATES BELOW* * *
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Polls, pundits, fundraising, ads — all the preliminaries are over, and now it’s finally time for the Iowa caucuses.
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The Washington Times will continually update the results tonight, with reporters Stephen Dinan, Christina Bellantoni and S.A. Miller on the ground in Iowa.
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Campaigns are scrambling to turn out their voters, and Ms. Bellantoni found one family of Iowa Democrats split three ways between John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
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Fishwrap will be following the blog reaction tonight, and you can get started with the last-minute polls via Memeorandum.
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Updates to come …
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— Robert Stacy McCain, assistant national editor, The Washington Times
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UPDATE 5:45 p.m.:
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At CQ Politics, Eric Pfeiffer — a former reporter for The Washington Times — says Fred Thompson’s campaign is furious about a rumor that he would quit the Republican race if he performed poorly in tonight’s caucus:
Thompson adviser Mary Matalin just told MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell that Thompson “unequivocally” denies the rumor and will not drop out no matter what happens in Iowa tonight… .\ \— RSMHowever, the story has already likely damaged Thompson, whether it was accurately reported or not. Conservative blog Red State jumps to Thompson’s defense, refuting the Politico piece in two separate posts.
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UPDATE 6:05 p.m.:
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Allapundit at Hot Air has an extended analysis of the who-to-blame question surrounding the Thompson rumor, plus this video:
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— RSM
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UPDATE 6:30 p.m.:
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Quin Hillyer of the American Spectator divides the GOP field into “real conservatives” — Thompson, Romney and Rudy Giuliani — vs. Huckabee and John McCain:
As truly horrific as it would be for the liberal and unethical Mike Huckabee to win the Republican presidential nomination, many Republicans still believe it would be almost as difficult to stomach the nomination of John McCain… .\ \Read the whole thingIowans in their caucuses and New Hampsherites in their primary have the first chances to winnow the Republican field. They would be doing the whole country a great disservice if they winnow one or more of the real conservatives out of the race, while boosting the chances of the two candidates who have done the most to poke the eyes of the Reaganites.
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— RSM
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