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The weather will be cold and clear tonight across Iowa as voters gather for the first real presidential voting of 2008, and there is real drama ahead. The Democratic race for the White House features one previous candidate, John Edwards, a complete newcomer, Barack Obama, and a first-time presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, who has been on the nation's mind for a long time. The Republicans face their own close race, with pre-caucus polls showing two former governors, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, well ahead of the rest of the field, where a struggle to finish third is underway among John McCain, Fred Thompson, and Rudy Giuliani. Ron Paul's surprisingly successful Internet surge will confront its first test tonight as well. Many news stories leading up to the caucus have emphasized how few people (6% of registered voters, on average) participate and how the caucus format discourages certain groups (the elderly, parents without babysitters, the disabled, and the poor). All valid points. Voters tonight will brave circumstances, like the cold, but they won't face militias with machetes, suicide bombers, Shining Path terrorists, or one-party-state officials bent on discouraging them. Limited or not, Iowa is the first step in the grand march of political freedom we enjoy in America. It is a time to participate, to work and to pray for our nation's future.
