Jeb's Post Iowa Analysis

Winners: Obama, McCain, Huckabee

Losers: Clinton, Edwards, Romney, Giuliani

Obama and Huckabee both won their respective caucuses so clearly they are winners. Obama because Iowa could propel him to victories in other states who now see him as viable. Huckabee wins because he upsets Romney who was a heavy favorite in the state not long ago. Not sure if Huckabee can translate this to significance in the future (he won't do well in New Hampshire) but it shows he's staying around for a little while. Don't forget about John McCain though. He may still finish 4th behind Fred Thompson but Romney getting beat helps him a great deal. McCain is the Republican favorite in New Hampshire and it will be hard to knock him off now that Romney has zero momentum.

It looks possible that Clinton could actually finish third behind Edwards as well. So much for inevitability. She's still the favorite in my mind but this is a serious setback. Even though Edwards may grind out a #2 finish, he's too far behind Obama and he doesn't have the organization that can carry on like Clinton or Obama. He really needed this win to get him more funding. Clearly Romney lost because he's going to have to slug it out with Huckabee, Giuliani, and McCain for awhile. And don't forget about the national "front-runner" Rudy Giuliani who will be finishing behind the comatose Fred Thompson and Ron Paul for a sterling 6th place finish. He didn't campaign much here but that looks pretty bad.