Iowa caucus results

We had 453 registered voters at our Democratic caucus last night (Grant Wood elementary school). The order of business was, "Precinct captains, is your group viable?" The Biden group was not. We had an enterprising lady in charge who talked to a couple of friends (known as a "straw poll") and decided that all of us Biden, Dodd, Richardson and the Kucinich guy should merge into one viable group of "Undecideds." I was not undecided, though, and neither were a bunch of us Biden types who walked two feet over to the Edwards camp. I'm sure some of us went to Obama, but not as much as Edwards, my personal second choice.

So, what's my take on all this? I give Obama credit, his group took up half our room, and our ten delegates split Obama 6, Edwards 2, Clinton 2. Hillary was the smallest viable group there. But I don't think Obama "won" — on the contrary, three fourths of the room handed the gold watch to the Clintons and sent them packing.

I suspect Huckabee was the beneficiary of a lot of unspoken resentment against decades of Mormon door-knocking, for that matter. IMHO, these caucuses were not so much a coronation, as a sieve, and a little of the old sludge and baggage washed away for both parties.