Obama, Huckabee Looking Strong In Iowa

Reports are calling Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama as leading in the Iowa Caucus. Heavy turnout in some precincts is likely to favor challengers such as Obama and Huckabee and break against establishment front-runners like Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.

Blogger Shelby Highsmith is actually live streaming video of one caucus at his website here. He's doing it with a laptop, camera and Sprint aircard. Maybe we should do this in February.

Prediction: Barack Obama Will Win Iowa Caucus

Everyone knows I have a ton of relatives in Iowa and spent some time there in September. Hillary Clinton may think she's poised to win but I predict an upset by the Illinois Senator for several reasons. One, he's from a neighboring state (and when there is a significant candidate from a mid-western state they usually win Iowa), two Oprah is boosting Barack big time and she's huge in middle class places like Iowa, three, Antonio Villaraigosa is doing no favors for the New York Senator in his appearances there and four, a last minute slime campaign on Barack's religious affiliation - the United Church of Christ - is going to backfire. The theologically liberal but stylistically conservative mainline protestant denomination has a deep history and lots of members in Iowa.

On the Republican side its neck and neck between Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, with an edge to Huckabee.