November 2007 Archives

Law enforcement officers believe tonight that they are one step closer to closing an investigation surrounding the death of Karen Weber. Weber was found murdered on April 20, 1986, her body near a gravel road northwest of Prairie City. An autopsy determined the woman died as a result of multiple stab wounds.

Today, agents with Iowa's Division of Criminal Investigation and Jasper County Sheriff's deputies announced the arrest of Gottlieb William Baumann, Jr. The man, 46, is being charged with first degree murder.

The Iowa crime lab matched DNA at the Jasper County crime scene to DNA found in the Combined DNA Index System. Because of that match, Martin S. Duffy of Des Moines was arrested in January and subsequently convicted of the first degree murder of Weber.

Baumann, however, was considered a person of interest in the investigation. DNA evidence collected from him was sent to the crime lab and indicated that Baumann's DNA fits the profile for evidence found at the murder scene and on the Weber's body.

Baumann is currently serving a sentence at the Anamosa State Penitentiary on unrelated charges.

This video clip is a portion of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's opening remarks at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids this morning:

11:34 a.m. -- The crowd continues to file in at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids for the "Ask Mitt Anything" campaign event in Ballentyne Auditorium. It appears as if the former Massachusetts governor is going to appear on stage at this event. They have an "Ask Mitt Anything" backdrop, flanked by two Kirkwood banners, also flanked by the United States and Iowa flags.

Staff is current standing idly on stage so Romney is either already in the building an in a private meeting or hasn't yet arrived at the facility.

11:39 a.m. -- The press gaggle has arrived and completely blocked the center aisle of the auditorium with their video cameras. Still photographers are marching back and forth throughout the venue, trying to determine where they can get the best shots. Most of us with laptops are positioned throughout the auditorium and somewhat attempting to hide our screens from the audience members beside us. Since there was no central press check-in, its difficult to say which media is represented.

11:45 a.m. -- Mitt has entered the stage and is receiving a standing ovation from those in the audience. The governor has requested that a woman by the name of "Joanie" come in... said he didn't want to start the program until he heard her "Whoa!" She was brought in from the hallway and provided the necessary "Whoa!" so we can now be underway.

There was a brief, but glowing introduction by Doug Gross and now Romney has the microphone.

"Joanie has this high squeel that you just can't mistake in an audience," Romney says. "You can just pick her out in the crowd."

11:51 a.m. -- Romney is giving a quick overview of his biography and how he has gotten involved in politics.

"I came into a state with a spending problem and I said I wouldn't raise taxes," he said. "People knew my Democratic opponent would probably do that."

He said when he took over in Massachusetts, he thought there would be a $1 billion budget problem. After he was elected, however, his team discovered there was a $3 billion budget deficit. He says that he combated that problem by cutting spending.

"We found ways to balance our budget by cutting excess spending," he said.

He said, "Washington is spending too much money" and that this is the time we need someone to go there who knows how to lasso spending.

11:56 a.m. -- Romney said he would start cutting spending with the Department of the Defense... although he says he has no plans to cut the military. He wants to add troops and ensure the troops we have are given the necessary equipment.

Romney has stopped the stump speech momentarily to acknowledge the Iowa Global Warming snowman who came into the auditorium.

"Did you all see the snowman come in?" Romney asked. "I saw him come in and I thought it was great. It's so great to have Al Gore here in costume." The audience responded with laughter.

12:00 p.m. -- While Romney is continuing his stump speech -- now hitting on "continue living in the house that Ronald Reagan built" -- I'm going to stop typing for a few minutes to shoot a video clip or two. I'll continue blogging when we get to the question and answer session.

12:10 p.m. -- The question and answer period is starting now.

First question: GOP Pro-Choice Group Target Romney with Ad Campaign was article in local newspaper. Group plans to run full page ad. How will Romney fight this smear tactic?

"I guess they just can't get over the fact that someone who is pro-choice becomes pro-life... the media just can't get enough of it," he said. "If you go the other route, you are heralded."

Next question: Younger man says he is an avid listener of talk radio. What will you do if the Congress and Bush have still not built the border fence?

"I welcome people coming here legally," he said. "Some people on other side of the issue, who favor illegal immigration, continue to paint me and others as anti-immigrant."

A fence and border patrol agents will make a diference, he said. He said the border agents how long it takes for a person to get past the wall and was told 40 seconds. Guards told him that to stop illegal immigration, he would have to turn off magnets. The magnets have to do with companies that hire undocumented workers.

"Change the sanctuary state of mind that exists," he said is another magnet.

12:18 p.m. -- Romney said he doesn't favor offering tuition breaks to undocumented workers and their children. "I will fight to ensure we live by the rule of law," he said.

Third question: A female college student... Do you support Bush and his efforts to set up a long-term military presence in Iraq?

"We have such bases in the region," he said. "I do not believe we should withdrawal from Iraq. We need to make sure [terrorist organizations] cannot have a safe haven in Iraq. The surge is working to prevent those groups from setting up a safe haven in Iraq."

"It is important to me that we get the job done," he said. "I will not walk out of Iraq until that job is done."

Fourth question, from another younger woman. She held up a card to read her question from. "Tell Hillary I said hello, will ya?" asked Romney and the audience laughed.

The question has to do with AIDS prevention in our nation and abroad.

"I'm pretty proud of the fact that everyone else is talking about [health care], but I've actually done it," he said.

"My plan gets every citizen insured within four years of its passage," he said. He added that this would include people with all types of pre-existing conditions such as diabetes. I'm going to go back and review the recording of this answer, because I'm not sure that Romney has mentioned HIV/AIDS in his answer.

12:25 p.m. -- The next questioner is a woman in her late 30s or early 40s. THis is also an AIDS question... this one having to do with global AIDS with a focus on Africa.

"There is no question that we care about the conditions in the world in poverty, sickness or disease," he said. "But I have to be honest with you that my first responsiblity is to the United States." The audience reacted to this positively... many whoops and applause.

Romney says he will work with other nations of the world to make adjustments and improvements. He won't give specific numbers, he said, because he hasn't finished the budget yet.

I can't see the next questioner, but it is also a woman's voice. She is asking about immigration. She wants us to issue citizen and non-citizen birth certificates. Effectively, making children of people who come into the country illegal with no status as citizens.

Romney said he doesn't know if the Constitution would allow that; however, he said he does disagree with "anchor babies."

Another female questioner, young voice, who wants to know about returning rights to the states.

Romney says that we need to reverse the encroachment that has happened. He wants to see, for instance, he says, Roe v. Wade overturned. He does think the federal government has a role in defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The reason, he says, that marriage is a status -- if you get married one place and move someplace else, you're still married.

12:30 p.m. -- 90 percent of land in Nevada is owned or managed by the federal government, he said. "You need to leave to the governors what to do for the people," he said.

An older man wants to know about Romney's religion.

Class is about to start and many of the young people in the audience are getting up and filing out of the auditorium.

"I'm proud of my faith," he said. "It is the faith of my fathers."

"I want to assure that if I become President of the United States that I believe I'm subscribing to America's Political Religion."

He says that religion calls for upholding the Constitution and abiding by the laws.

Next questioner is a voice I know... Mike Carberry of Iowa Global Warming. How would you address the challenge on a global basis?

Romney says he believes there is a lot we can do right now to reduce our greenhouse emissions. This would give us better security and would strengthen our economy, he said.

He mentioned briefly "caps" and "targets" and a few members of the audience expressed their disapproval of the idea. Romney said China and India also need to contribute and if they are not included, it will damage American business.

It looks like staff is moving in.... yes, that's the case and Romney is wrapping up. He says thanks to everyone and that this is his fourth visit to Linn County.

"We need to remember how important it is for American to remain the strongest nation on earth," he said.

The audience is providing him a standing ovation upon his final "thank you." Dec. 12 -- says a voice from the stage, no longer visable because of the all the people who moved forward to shake hands -- Romney will be back in town for a holiday party.

That's it from Kirkwood. I'll sit here and see if I can get the video quickly processed and will add it into the liveblog once it's complete.

According to a new study by Mental Health America, Iowans are fourth in the nation when it comes to depression status.

The report, "Ranking America's Mental Health: An Analysis of Depression Across the States," examined state and national data for statistical associations between access-to-care factors and actual health outcomes, such as a state's mental health status and suicide rate. South Dakota was found to lead the nation with the best depression status while Utah ranked last.

"It is important to note that regardless of where each state ranks on our mental health scale, there is much room for improvement," said Dr. David Shern, PhD, president and CEO of Mental Health America. "While a number of factors including biology and environment impact an individual's mental health, this study shows that states can significantly improve their populations' mental health status by adopting policies that expand access to mental health treatments."

The researchers found statistically-significant associations between the following facors and better depression status and lower suicide rates:

• Mental health resources -- On average, the higher the number of psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers per capita in a state, the lower the suicide rate.
• Barriers to treatment -- The lower the percentage of the population reporting they could not obtain health care because of costs, the lower the suicide rate and the better the state's depression status. In addition, the lower the percentage of the population that reported unmet mental health care needs, the better the state's depression status.
• Mental health treatment utilization -- The higher the percentage of the population receiving mental health treatment, the lower the suicide rate.
• Socioeconomic characteristics -- The more educated the population and the greater the percentage with health insurance, the lower the suicide rate. The more educated the population, the better the state's depression status.

In addition, the report found health insurance parity to be significantly associated with the level of mental health service utilization in a state.

"The findings of this study underscore the critical need to monitor the mental health status of Americans by examining depression and the states' policies that may impact it," said Shern. "Through regular and ongoing measurement of key indicators of depression, we will be able to understand how state public policies impact a population's depression level and suicide rate - and make adjustments to benefit the millions of American affected by depression."

In developing the state rankings of depression status, Mental Health America examined four measures: 1) the percentage of the adult population experiencing at least one major depressive episode in the past year, 2) the percentage of the adolescent population experiencing at least one major depressive episode in the past year, 3) the percentage of adults experiencing serious psychological distress, and 4) the average number of days in the last 30 days in which the population reported that their mental health was not good.

Iowa fell statistically lower than the national average of 3.31 poor mental health days. Only 8 percent of adolescents and 7.35 percent of adults in Iowa had major depressive episodes between 2004 and 2005, the time limit studied for the report. National percentages were 8.95 percent and 8.05 percent, respectively. Overall, the state received 2.52 poor mental health days.

The only part of the survey where Iowans ranked higher than the national average was on the percentage of adults with serious psychological distress during 2004 and 2005. Nationally the states averaged to 11.63 percent of the population. In Iowa, the percentage was 11.75.

The report found significant variation among the states in the levels of depression and in its most tragic consequence: suicide. Rates of depression among the states vary from around seven percent in the least depressed states to over 10 percent in states where residents reported the highest levels of depression. This difference represents a nearly 40 percent variation from the least to the most depressed states.

Iowa could also stand to improve its suicide rate. Nationally, the state ranks 24th with an overall percentage of 11.61 and an age-adjusted suicide rate of 11.46 percent.

To achieve top ranking in the country, South Dakota yielded the best results for the four measures used to develop a composite depression status indicator. Among adults, 7.31 percent experienced a major depressive episode in the past year and 11.6 percent experienced serious psychological distress. Among adolescents, 7.4 percent had a major depressive episode in the past year. On average, South Dakotans reported 2.41 poor mental health days per month. Even though South Dakota ranked well in overall depression status, it is also important to note that the state had an age-adjusted suicide rate of 14.85, ranking South Dakota 40th in the nation, which is 300% higher than the District of Columbia, which has the lowest suicide rate.

Utah ranked 51st in depression status. For both adults and adolescents, 10.14 percent reported experiencing a major depressive episode in the past year. Among adults, 14.58 percent experienced serious psychological distress. On average, residents of Utah reported 3.27 poor mental health days per month.

"Despite the fact that some states do better than others on rates of depression and suicide, no state can be satisfied with its current status," Shern said. "These rates can be driven lower by encouraging state policies designed to improve coverage, end discriminatory practices in insurance, and assure that qualified mental health professionals are available to serve everyone in need."

The top ten "least depressed" states are: 1) South Dakota, 2) Hawaii, 3) New Jersey, 4) Iowa, 5) Maryland, 6) Minnesota, 7) Louisiana, 8) Illinois, 9) North Dakota, and 10) Texas. The bottom ten "most depressed" states are: 42) Wyoming, 43) Ohio, 44) Missouri, 45) Idaho, 46) Oklahoma, 47) Nevada, 48) Rhode Island, 49) Kentucky, 50) West Virginia, and 51) Utah.

In Iowa, state mental health expenditures per capita were $76.14. The state has nearly 7 psychiatrists, 22 psychologists and 113 social workers for every 100,000 people. Roughly 8 percent of Iowans report they could not get health care because of the cost. In addition, 4.5 percent indicated an unmet need for mental health care treatment or counseling in the past year.

Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) is the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. The report was supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

Like millions of other Americans, last night I was given the unique opportunity to see what CNN wanted me to see of the Republican presidential hopefuls. (For those interested, the small group I gathered with allowed me to live-blog with M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Frosty Wooldridge, Iowan Chris Dorsey, Iowan David Redlawsk, Elizabeth Blackney and assorted others at Back Roads to the White House.)

Although this morning the hub-bub on the cyber- and boob-tubes seems to be about questions that were possibly planted by other campaigns (Hat tip goes to Don for that first link), all we actually have are confirmed supporters of other campaigns having their questions selected. Still, the whisper of impropriety is in the air and, at least in politics, one whiff is often all it takes. I personally witnessed not less than five activists groups from both the left and right political fringes brainstorm strategy to get their questions selected for this debate. The same holds true for the previous Democratic YouTube debate. I seriously doubt that any of the questioners -- human or animated -- were isolated from politics in general or from campaigns.

That being said, there were two questions in last night's debate that had me perking my ears for the answers. The first came from already outed John Edwards' supporter Journey who asked about the criminalization of abortion.

Congressman Ron Paul, a former obstetrician/gynecologist, said that in his 30 years of medical practice he "of course, never saw one time when a medically-necessary abortion had to be done."

Granted, I don't have the medical credentials of Dr. Ron Paul, but I have a very difficult time believing this. Either he was extremely fortunate and never oversaw one high-risk pregnancy, or he is pandering a point to the anti-abortion crowd. In my circle of friends, I personally know a minimum of 10 women, excluding myself, who have had medically-necessary abortions.

Paul went on to add: "I think it certainly is a crime, but I also understand the difficulties. I think when you're talking about third trimester deliberate abortion and partial-birth abortions, I mean, there has to be a penalty for the person that is committing that crime."

I don't know of many medical professionals who use the term "partial-birth abortion," a phrase that was created by a politically motivated group to add emotional turmoil to a flimsy, non-medically-related argument. The medical term for these types of procedures is dilation and extraction, or D&X, and they amount to less than one percent of all abortions performed. The reason the D&X is done -- or was done, thanks to our now religiously-charged Supreme Court -- is because it is often the safest procedure for the woman.

There is a reason the evangelical community is not dancing in the streets over the Supreme Court ruling. They aren't happy because the ruling did nothing to stop late-term abortion. The Supreme Court ruling effectively banned one -- the safest -- late-term abortion procedure. What's legally left are other procedures that also end with an aborted fetus, but provide much more risk for the woman.

Paul ended his talk about the criminalization of abortion by saying the doctors performing the abortions should be punished and the states should decide what that punishment is.

Lest anyone mistake the why and how evangelical and/or fundamentalists Christians ended up in bed with the oft-scandalous Republican Party, Fred Thompson provided the answer: "The young lady's question is premised on if abortion becomes illegal. That presumes that Roe vs. Wade is overturned, which I think should be our number one focus right now and that has to do with the kinds of Supreme Court judges we've put on the bench."

Thompson said he also believes the decision on abortion should go back to the states and that the person punished should be the doctor performing the abortion. He added that he believes the current rule of viability in most states should be rolled back to a "much earlier" date in the pregnancy.

Another questioner, AJ from Millstone, N.J. (as far as I know he's not been outed as a plant, but that's probably because he asked a question most on the right liked), asked if the candidates would sign a federal ban on abortion.

Rudy Giuliani was the first to answer, and, in a move I'm sure did not earn him any points with the social conservatives (not that he holds hands with many of them anyway), he said that he would not sign the ban. He pledged instead to "leave it to the states."

Giuliani, arguably the most moderate of any of the Republican candidates on human rights, added that he did not think abortion should be criminalized.

On the flip side, Mitt Romney seemed excited about the prospect of an abortion-free America and smiled as he said that he'd "be delighted to sign that bill." He then lamented the fact that America wasn't at that point of consensus on the issue.

What's extremely sad about all of this is the fact that many on the political surface speak about the decision of Roe v. Wade as if it only impacts abortion rights. The ruling spoke directly to a violation of a constitutional right to privacy under the 14th Amendment. Protection of a woman's health was really not a consideration of Roe v. Wade, but was determined during the little discussed companion ruling of Doe v. Bolton, which was released the same day as Roe v. Wade and dealt specifically with Georgia's abortion law.

What we had last night was a stage full of men who are willing to throw medical privacy under the bus for everyone, and who will continue to pander to religious fundamentalists instead of taking a stand to protect the health of American women.

Perhaps there was too much chatter about former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel's quiet demeanor in the "rock" video because there's a new, speaking, groovy Gravel on the tubes:

Although the video wasn't posted by the candidate's official YouTube channel, it is featured prominently there.

The crowd of 100 people gathered at the Waverly Civic Center Tuesday night was hushed and thoughtful as Delaware Sen. Joe Biden answered an audience member's question regarding the difference between this run for the White House and his previous bid.

Biden, a long-time member of the United States Senate, made a previous bid for the White House in the late 1980s, only to drop when he neglected to provide attribution for a portion of a speech by Neil Kinnock, then leader of the British Labour Party, during an Iowa campaign stop. Although Biden, who was considered the 1988 frontrunner, had previously used text from the speech with attribution on many occasions, the one where he did not was caught on video by aides to rival Michael Dukakis, and the incident brought about the end to Biden's campaign. Dukakis would later fire John Sasso, campaign manager and long-time chief of staff, over the incident.

"You mentioned on Tim Russert a couple of weeks ago that maybe the last time you ran -- and I am paraphrasing -- that you were maybe a little to arrogant, maybe a little too confident," said the man who also confessed that he had voted Republican since the mid-1970s. "How has that changed now?"

The man also suggested that Biden consider Arizona Sen. John McCain as his running mate, but Biden quickly dismissed that notion by saying that although McCain is one of his closest friends, and has been for 35 years, the two possess a fundamental divide when it comes to foreign policy.

"What's different between now and then?" Biden asked as he summarized the question for those who couldn't hear. "Look, I want to make it clear to you. I don't think that I'm the guy Diogenes found -- the only honest man. That's not the case I'm making. I'm not making the case that, you know, I'll never tell a lie. What I'm saying is that I promise you I'll tell you what I think. I promise you. I promise you I will tell you what I think is needed -- and I'll make the case for it. This is because some things are worth losing an election over."

Biden went on to discuss the May vote to fund the troops in Iraq. Despite campaign advisers cautioning him that his vote would be construed as being in favor of the war, Biden was the only Democratic presidential contender to give approval to the measure and has stated, on many occasions, that he made the right choice.

"This is the key difference between 22 years ago and today," he said. "Today, I know exactly why I want to be president. I'm not saying I know I'm right about everything, but I know why I want to be president. I know what I will try to do. The difference between then and now is an easy call. That vote was worth losing an election over.

"I respect the fact that you thought that vote was in support of the war and that I shouldn't have done it. But as long as there is one single, solitary soldier in harms way that I know I can protect -- that I know I can materially increase their chance of surviving -- I will do it."

The difference this time around for him, Biden said, "is that it's okay to lose."

"I really mean that," he added. "I want to be your president. But if the Lord Almighty came down and said, 'I guarantee you, Joe, that Barack or Hillary or John or Chris will do a better job than you as president' -- I give you my word that I'd say "thank you, God, I can go home.'"

Biden said he is running because -- "honest to God" -- he feels he is the most qualified. Linda Engel, a former Republican who switched her party affiliation three months ago to caucus for a Democrat, said she agrees.

"I used to listen to [Biden] during the [Robert] Bork confirmation hearings," said Engel. "I like what he says. A lot of it just makes sense and I do think he is the most qualified. The Republican side of me hates to admit it, but I do think he is the most qualified. He has the experience."

Engel, a resident of Waverly, says she has been to campaign events for many candidates on both sides of the political aisle.

"I like a lot of the things the Republicans have to say individually, but the lump of any one candidate doesn't appeal to me," she said. "I decided that I hated the idea of Hillary Clinton being the nominee enough -- I believe 'ABC,' Anybody But Clinton -- that I had to go over to the Democratic side just so I could try and stop that.

"And the reason I don't like Hillary's candidacy is that she professes to be this liberated woman and this epitome of women's liberation and, really, she got where she is by following the 50's motto of picking a guy who had potential, grooming him and making him into what she wanted to be -- so that she could end up in the White House. That's not women's liberation... I have no respect for her as a liberator of women."

During the event, Engel asked Biden for his views on immigration. In particular, she wanted to know if he was in favor of building a wall between the United States and Mexico. Biden told her and the audience that he did not favor or wall -- or a moat -- since neither would solve the problem. He proposed talks with the Mexican government to persuade them to take better care of their own citizenry.

"I think we really need to look at the immigration policy with Mexico," Engel said. "I really am opposed to the wall. And I really think the people we need to create a policy about are not the educated, engineering-type people, but the people who do the stuff that we don't want to do. I mean, I can't think of anyone who wants to go out and pick tomatoes or strawberries. We need those people who are willing to come and do that. So, there needs to be some sort of mechanism to make it work. I'm not pretending to say how that needs to be. By that same token, I'm not saying that they need to be entitled to our health care and our education unless they become citizens."

Tancredo, what a man, spreading fear, blood, and guts all over the TV screen with his political ads for president, can you imagine him as the "President?" The fella we currently coronated is one of the worst ever, but he would look like a jewel compared to this guy Tancredo!

Tancredo should know better and should be an embarrassment to the American voting public. As in any society, whether Arab, American, Christian, or Islamic, there are the fringe extremists - Tancredo is one of them. With Tancredo announcing he is not running for Congress again (hopefully Iowa's 5th District Steve King will follow) and his presidential candidacy dying on the vine I wouldn't be surprised to see him pop up in leadership of some extremist immigration/ethnic hate group or be hired for the big bucks to become a corporate lobbyist.

Also, I personally despise the religious right wingers who claim morals but ignore the sense of caring, equality, responsibilities, and togetherness of community of all men (and women) preached in the good book. Are the right wingers/Christian extremists holier than thou? I think not! We need to be positive about the human race as a whole even with all the problems and issues we face today, we are one.

With this country and the world being in the shape it is in this next election cycle is serious business for all us, our children, and grandchildren. "Study up" on the candidates beyond these TV ads we all despise (some not proper), ask these candidates the hard questions at their political events, and visit with other voters. We actually do "hold the world in our hands!"

After you have educated yourself, I encourage you to go caucus, hopefully for a Democrat.

Two more of Iowa's female legislators have chosen to endorse a presidential candidate. Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, endorsed New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton while Rep. Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo, has endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

This leaves only nine women, from either side of the political aisle, who have not yet endorsed:

• Republicans
  • Sen. Nancy Boettger (District 29) Had endorsed Sam Brownback prior to his drop from the race.
  • Rep. Linda Upmeyer (District 12)
  • Rep. Dawn Pettengill (District 39)
  • Rep. Libby Jacobs (District 60)
  • Rep. Betty De Boef (District 76)
• Democrats
  • Sen. Amanda Ragan (District 7)
  • Rep. Dolores Mertz (District 8)
  • Rep. Jo Oldson (District 61)

Here's how the remaining 25 women in the state legislature have lined up so far:

• Republicans
  • Rudy Giuliani -- Sen. Mary Lundby
  • Mike Huckabee -- Rep. Carmine Boal
  • John McCain -- Sen. Pat Ward
  • Mitt Romney -- Rep. Tami Wiencek, Rep. Jodi Tymeson, Rep. Linda Miller
  • Fred Thompson -- Rep. Sandy Greiner

• Democrats
  • Joe Biden -- Rep. Doris Kelley, Rep. Polly Butka, Rep. Lisa Heddens, Rep. Mary Gaskill
  • Hillary Rodham Clinton -- Sen. Staci Appel, Sen. Becky Schmitz, Rep. Swati Dandekar, Rep. Mary Masher, Rep. Cindy Winckler, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell
  • John Edwards -- Rep. Geri Huser
  • Barack Obama -- Rep. Pam Jochum, Rep. Helen Miller, Rep. Janet Petersen, Rep. Elesha Gayman, Rep. Deborah Berry
  • Bill Richardson -- Rep. Marcella Frevert

On the eve of scheduled candlelight prayer vigils outside of her Davenport office, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced she will be releasing her plan to fight HIV/AIDS both domestically and globally.

"Sen. Clinton has stepped up to the plate, and released a plan to fight AIDS which, if enacted, will help turn the tide of the AIDS epidemic worldwide," said Kaytee Riek, a grassroots organizer for Iowans for AIDS Action. "She joins [Sen. Barack] Obama and [former Sen. John] Edwards in calling for adequate funding and effective policies to fight AIDS at home and abroad, and today, we are praying for all other candidates -- Republican and Democrat -- to do the same."

Iowans for AIDS Action had planned to target Clinton's Davenport headquarters to bring attention to the fact that she had not yet released a comprehensive plan. Now, according to Riek, the vigil will continue in the same location, but will be held to thank the candidate -- as well as Obama and Edwards -- for releasing detailed plans and leading on the issue.

All three Democratic candidates are pledging to earmark $50 billion over a five-year span on global initiatives to combat HIV/AIDS. President George W. Bush and his administration have budgeted $30 billion for that same time-frame. In addition to the monetary increase, plans from the Democratic candidates differ from the current administration by not limiting prevention strategies to abstinence-only sex education.

Clinton is slated to discuss her plan today while campaigning in South Carolina. According to information provided today from the campaign, the plan not only targets global concerns but "would especially help groups in the U.S. that have seen HIV infection rates rise over the past several years, including African Americans and gay men, and address the continued risk in Latino communities and among women."

She proposes doubling the HIV/AIDS research budget within the National Institutes of Health to $5.2 billion annually, including the U.S. contribution toward finding a vaccine. Edwards and Obama have also pledged to strengthen and expand, respectively, such research. All three candidates support federal financing for needle exchange programs. In addition, as a part of their overall health care plans, the three candidates have pledged to improve medical care and treatment for citizens living with HIV/AIDS.

The vigils planned for tonight by Iowans for AIDS Action will continue as planned and will target the campaign offices of Republican presidential hopefuls Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee.

"The AIDS crisis is a non-partisan issue, and we expect the next president to continue and expand upon the progress made during the Bush administration," said Riek.

In his 2003 State of the Union address, Bush announced the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a $15 billion over five years budget to treat 2 million people with AIDS in 15 focus countries, and prevent 7 million new infections. In 2008, that program will likely receive $6 billion in funding from Congress.

"We are calling for the candidates to support a comprehensive plan to fight AIDS, which includes $50 billion over 5 years for global AIDS, promotion of low-cost generic medication over expensive name-brand drugs, funding for evidence-based HIV prevention programs, and guaranteed treatment for all people with HIV in the US in need of treatment," Riek said.

Following the scheduled vigils, advocates plan to meet with key campaign staff to lay out their demands.

The vigils -- all planned for tonight -- will take place at the following times and locations:

• Des Moines -- 6 p.m., outside of Huckabee's headquarters, located at the intersection of 6th and Locust.
• Cedar Falls -- 5:30 p.m., outside of Maucker Union on the University of Northern Iowa campus
• Davenport -- 5:30 p.m., outside of Clinton's headquarters, located at 1416 W. 16th St.
• Iowa City -- 5:30 p.m., beginning at Trinity Episopal Church, 320 E. College, and marching to Giuliani's campaign office. This event will feature Bishop Philip Hougen of the Southeastern Iowa Evangelical Lutheran Church Synod.
• Decorah -- 5:30 p.m., in front of the statue of Martin Luther on the campus of Luther College

There's really only one sure fire way to know a candidate is doing well in Iowa: the attacks, public and otherwise. In other words, its safe to say that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is doing well here.

Phyllis Schlafly, president of the national Eagle Forum, said, "He destroyed the conservative movement in Arkansas, and left the Republican Party a shambles," she says. "Yet some of the same evangelicals who sold us on George W. Bush as a 'compassionate conservative' are now trying to sell us on Mike Huckabee."

In late October, former Arkansas Republican State Rep. Randy Milton was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying Huckabee's "support for taxes split the Republican Party and damaged our name brand." (Name brand?)

There's also an email being spread hither-and-thither in Iowa cyberspace that reads as follows:

Subject: A Candidate for Illegal Immigrants

Who supported the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill, saying it was not Amnesty?

Who said immigration reform was fueled by racism?

Who said illegal aliens don't take Jobs away from American citizens?

Who wanted to give state-funded scholarships to illegals?

And who actually opposed blocking voting rights and cutting public handouts for illegal immigrants?

Who said illegal immigrants actually help the economy?

Mike Huckabee, that's who!!

As Governor, Huckabee "Was A Treacherous Liberal On Taxes, Social Welfare Spending And Illegal Immigration."

Don't be fooled! Pass it on!

Some versions of the email include references to various news outlets and specific dates -- although no direct links are provided and none of the information printed in the email comes up readily on a Google search.

There is a video on Immigration Watchdog of Huckabee's Jan. 11, 2005 State of the State address that seems to approve state monies for education of the children of undocumented workers. This issue, along with many of the other immigration allegations are addressed at the Huckabee '08 unofficial blog. The campaign's official site also has the candidate's white paper on immigration. This particular issue is also discussed in a January 2005 article by the Arkansas News Bureau that says Huckabee "denounced a bill by Sen. Jim Holt that would deny state benefits to illegal immigrants as un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life."

While it's difficult to tell from the email, attacks and links whether or not Huck is soft on immigration or taxes, it's not so difficult to see that many are now viewing him as a threat in Iowa.

Two presidential hopefuls, one from each side of the aisle, have launched new television advertisements in Iowa.

Former Sen. John Edwards, a Democratic hopeful, went on the air today with a new ad dubbed "mess" that focuses on his belief that ensuring children a better life is the great moral test of this generation:

"Mess" Transcript

What we want to make certain is true is that our children have a better life than we've had. Twenty generations of Americans before us have ensured that that was true.

And if we want to do that, we're going to have to be willing to take on this corrupt system and change it. And if we're not going to do it, we're going to have to be willing to look our children in the eye and say we're going to leave this mess for you.

This is the great moral test of our generation, and we will meet that test.

I'm John Edwards and I approve this message.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican hopeful, went up with an ad entitled "believe" that focuses on Huckabee's faith:

"Believe" Transcript

Faith doesn't just influence me, it really defines me. I don't have to wake up every day, wondering, "What do I need to believe?"

Let us never sacrifice our principles for anybody's politics. Not now. Not ever.

I believe life begins at conception.

We believe in some things. We stand by those things. We live or die by those things.

I'm Mike Huckabee and I approve this message.

This afternoon, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd made Cedar Rapids' own Jane Boyd Community House his second stop while rolling out his plan for women and families. Eva Bunnell, a woman who helped motivate him to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act, spoke about her experiences with the Democratic presidential hopeful:

One of the women at the event, Margaret Moore of Walker, decided roughly a month ago to support Dodd's bid for the White House. The upcoming caucuses will be the second she's attended.

"I was at a house party here in Cedar Rapids and it was a very nice party, but that's not what impressed me," she said following today's discussion. "I was impressed with Sen. Dodd's well-versed, educated answers to questions and his conversation about the issues that we Americans are all facing."

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd held the first of three roundtable discussions this morning at House of Mercy in Des Moines while unveiling his plan for putting women and families first. He was joined at the event by Eva Bunnell, the woman whose story helped motivate him to author the Family and Medical Leave Act, which has allowed an estimated 50 million workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new child or a sick family member.

"Chris Dodd understands that women's rights have progressed in the last 50 years, but much more remains to be done," said Jennifer Lunsford, who serves on the Democratic State Central Committee and as chairwoman in Jefferson County. "I know he can work across the aisle to produce the policies that American women need."

Although nearly half the American workforce is now made up of women and women are more likely to have an advanced degree, women continue to compete on an uneven playing field. Today, women earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn and face unique challenges balancing the demands of work and family.

"The United States is leading the world on innovations in science, technology, communication, the list goes on," said Dodd. "But we are still leaps and bounds behind where we ought to be on something so basic - ensuring that women have the same opportunities as men, and that parents are able to maintain their jobs while caring for themselves and their families.

"In a Dodd Administration, these priorities will be where they belong - at the top - and the United States will set an example for the world in the fair and equal treatment of women and families."

Earlier this year, Dodd introduced a bill in the Senate expanding the original Family and Medical Leave Act to provide paid leave for workers who need to take time to care for their loved ones or themselves.

"I think Chris Dodd knows how to get results for women and families and bring people together," said Kay Hale, who serves as financial secretary for the Linn County Democratic Central Committee. "He brought both Democrats and Republicans to the table when he passed the Family and Medical Leave Act. I think he is the only candidate in the Democratic field who has such a strong record of results for women and American families."

During his tenure in the United States Senate, Dodd authored the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Child Care and Development Block Grant, which improved the quality of child care and helped low-income families with affordability. As a result of the child care legislation, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies presented him the "Lifetime Leadership Award for Quality Child Care."

In 1995, Dodd was an early supporter of the Women's choice and Reproductive Health Protection Act, which would have codified the Roe v. Wade decision into federal law and ensured medical privacy. He also co-sponsored the Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Act that provided increased access to contraceptive services for women in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies and ensure equity in prescription drug coverage.

Dodd voted, in 1998, to continue the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program that required the federal government set aside at least 10 percent of federally-funding highway projects for businesses owned by women and minorities. He also praised the landmark 2003 Supreme Court decision upholding the University of Michigan's affirmative action policy, saying that "every American deserves a chance to go as far as their ability and effort will take them -- regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity or economic circumstances."

He was also an early supporter of the Violence Against Women Act (authored by Delaware Sen. Joe Biden). Dodd authored and won passage of legislation that expanded state child protective service programs, and helped author a bill that increased funds for shelter, emergency relief and counseling services to victims of domestic violence. In addition, Dodd cosponsored the SAFE Act, which would ensure victims of domestic violence are allowed 30 days of unpaid leave from work to make necessary court appearances, contact law enforcement officials or make alternative housing arrangements.

In 1992, Dodd authored legislation that increased the percentage of federal substance abuse treatment funds devoted to pregnant women. He also cosponsored the Mammography Quality Standards Act, which mandated quality control standards for providers of mammography screenings. He was an early supporter of the Women's Health Equity Act, legislation that sought to expand research on women's health issues and establish the Office of Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. He also cosponsored a measure that would require health plans that provide maternity benefits to provide hospital coverage for new mothers and newborns for at least 48 hours.

Finally, Dodd has cosponsored legislation -- the Paycheck Fairness Act -- that would strengthen the landmark Equal Pay Act that mandates equal pay for women and men who do equal work.

If elected, Dodd promised to create opportunity for women and support them by instituting the new paid family leave legislation, ensuring every woman receives a full day's pay for a full day's work, increasing access to high-quality and affordable child care, expanding the Child and Earned Income Tax Credits to provide an estimated $7 billion in tax relief for working and middle-class families and making women's health a priority.

In addition to the roundtable discussion and tour this morning, Dodd also introduced 44 members that wills serve on the "Women for Dodd" steering committee, including regional chairwomen Sarah Adams of Poweshiek County, Mary Baumhover of Carroll County, Deb Bowen of Des Moines County, Mary Ann Burris of Polk County, Beth Fermet of Story County, Kay Jackson of Linn County, Linda Louko of Johnson County, Joyce Schulte of Union County and Karen Thalacker of Bremer County.

Women named to the steering committee are:

• Bremer County
  • Karen Thalacker
  • Chris Rediske
• Carroll County
  • Mary Baumhover
• Cass County
  • Marilyn Miller
• Des Moines County
  • Deb Bowen
• Harrison County
  • Vi Buttery
  • Lydia Caldiera
  • Renee Springston
  • Autumn Springston
  • Summer Springston
  • Laura Stokes
• Jefferson County
  • Jennifer Lunsford
• Johnson County
  • Linda Louko
  • Laurie Finn
  • Hazel Hargrove
  • Helen Kottman
  • Katherine Nicholson
  • Meredith Place
  • Lynne Stamus
  • Gloria Wallace
• Linn County
  • Kay Jackson
  • Kathy Bass
  • Rebecca Clark
  • Kay Hale
  • Colleen Mehaffey
  • Marvalee Vuichard
• Polk County
  • Mary Ann Burris
  • Kathy Elsner
  • Ricki Pashler
  • Rose Mary Pratt
  • Jenelle Sarcone
• Pottawattamie County
  • Mary Lou McGinn
• Poweshiek County
  • Sarah Adams
  • Delores Mulvihill
• Scott County
  • Caryl Bucksbaum
  • Jan Coffenberry
  • Betty Gray
  • Ruth Hancock
  • Alice Hospers
  • Karen McKeown
  • Darlyne Neff
  • Marilyn Whittaker
• Story County
  • Beth Fermet
• Union County
  • Joyce Schulte

Following the Des Moines roll out this morning, Dodd is holding roundtable events in Cedar Rapids at Jane Boyd Community House and in Davenport at Family Resources, Inc.

Pink -- Who Knew:

Ever had a day when it seems everything you touched turned to crap? Well, I was having one of those days not too long ago, but a friend sent me a link to Musings and Ruminations from the Fairy Lady that completely turned my day around. And, just for the record -- and, I pray, without offense to Jill -- Joe is attractive to non-lesbians as well.

So, we've passed the turkey holiday and have firmly begun the march toward December and into the shopping malls... let the stupidity begin.

I know some might take offense at me calling the "happy holidays" vs. "merry Christmas" battle stupidity, but let's really think about it for a moment. If you are lucky enough to walk into a store and have a clerk say something nice to you by way of a greeting, you should be feeling darn good. Frankly, I don't care if I'm wished a Cool Yule, Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas or told to Keep My Season Bright. It's all nice. It's all good.

No need to take offense... unless, of course, your five-year-old son happens to be looking over your shoulder while you look at this cartoon. (I owe you one for that, Robert!)

The Arizona Court of Appeals has denied efforts by Child Protective Services to have a child in foster care immunized over a parent's objections, saying the parent maintains "residual rights" that the state must honor. While this might seem like a little thing, consider that the court discussed "rights," indicating there is more than one. The implications to the foster care system could be devastating. The saving grace might be that this was a case of the state having temporary custody.

There's a post at the Liberty Lounge forum that gives an outline of the early states and Democratic candidates' activities. I'm not sure if Mark Silva's post on The Swamp or the forum post came first. (Although I'm guessing it was Silva.)

From the Blue State: "Imagine a version of John Edwards that believes we didn't evolve from primates. That's Mike Huckabee."

In case you haven't had enough talk of Hillary Rodham Clinton, there's a round up on Left in the West that includes Andi Zeisler's use of the word "bitch" and Maureen Dowd's write-up questioning the junior senator's qualifications.

Sen. Chris Dodd plans to roll-out his plan for women and families in the morning with stops in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport. More on that ... well, in the morning.

The Associated Press is reporting the current writers strike could sink the scheduled Democratic debate that is to be televised by CBS. Former Sen. John Edwards announced on a conference call last week that he would not cross the picket line and Clinton said the same in a released statement. According to the AP, all the other candidates -- save Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel -- have also indicated they will not cross.

Pop and Politics has an interesting commentary on the 20-minute campaign video by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's campaign. I'm not sure if the author is right and that the piece is a direct sell to women, but it is true that women are prominently featured. I will note, however, that what this author reports mirrors closely the theme of what Doug Burns reported at Iowa Independent when he interviewed the Senator's younger sister. (Have I mentioned that Oprah is coming to Iowa on behalf of Obama?)

Presidential politics is nothing new to Cate Edwards, the 25-year-old daughter of John and Elizabeth Edwards. She was 16 when her father first ran for United States Senate in North Carolina. She was also on the stump for her dad in Iowa in 2003 and 2004 and has returned to campaign for him again during this bid.

"I worked in the press office of his Senate campaign," she said. "We spent hours clipping from newspapers, trying to get all the information we could. I also did mail stuffing and envelope licking, but, at that point, I wasn't really out there on the campaign trail."

As her father, a successful attorney, moved from the courtroom to Congress and launched bids to move further up the political ladder, Cate says the entire family was involved in the decision.

"We have a policy that we talk about things as a family," she said. "No big decisions are made without the input of the entire family. I thought my dad really wanted to [run for Senate] and I thought it would be great. Although I didn't actually know at the time what it meant. I knew that he wanted to go into public service and I knew that he wanted to the same types of things he'd been doing with his law practice for the entire state of North Carolina -- giving a voice to people who didn't necessarily have one. Since I knew that was why he wanted to do it, of course, I said yes."

How does running for the Senate then translate into running for president?

"We had heard -- there were sort of mumblings that he might run from people who didn't actually know, but who thought he would be a good candidate," she said. "So, I had an idea that the opportunity was there. But we did sit down as a family -- for a number of conversations, not just one. I also know that my mom and dad had separate conversations without me as well where they talked about the well-being of their children."

Because of how well she knew her father and his reasons for wanting to serve, Cate says she didn't have hesitation with her support of his bid for the White House.

"I completely supported him," she said. "I knew the reasons he wanted to do it and I knew that he'd make a great president. I knew that not only in terms of his policies, but I knew that he was a fighter, someone who had fought for other people his entire life. As a young person -- at that time I was 20 or 21 -- I knew that's what I would want in my president. I thought, 'Why would I ever deprive the rest of the country.'"

Cate said that growing up in the public spotlight wasn't as bad as some might think, but concedes that the spotlight on her wasn't nearly as narrowly focused as it has been on others.

"It wasn't actually so bad," she said. "At first I was in college and just did a few trips with my parents and a couple of trips on my own. That was during the primary season in 2003. The spotlight really wasn't so bright at that time. In the general election, as I began to become more and more involved in the campaign and went to colleges all around the country, there was a little more attention. I do think that you quickly adjust to that. It's good to have your family and it's good to have your friends who keep you completely grounded.

"I think part of the reason [the spotlight wasn't so bright] is that I wasn't there to talk about myself. I was there to talk about my dad. So, it was much easier to deflect because I was talking about him and the things he wanted to do. That was much more interesting for me and for everyone else. So, I didn't really feel the glare that the Bush daughters certainly have felt throughout their dad's presidency."

Sitting down for the interview, Cate was in the midst of her first trip into Iowa for the 2008 presidential campaign.

"I spent a lot of time here in 2004," she said. "I was working during this past summer and didn't get to make trips, but I plan to be coming out here plenty. Iowa is very important to us."

Looking back over the time she has spent in Iowa, she says that Davenport holds a special memory.

"It has to be Davenport," she said and laughed. "After all, I won $115 at the riverboat casino, playing black jack there for the first time ever when I was 21 or 22."

She said, in looking at her father -- the man who affectionately refers to her as Catie-Did -- there are so many reasons why he would make the best president.

"I think his policies are well thought out and well laid out," she said. "He has specific ideas and is not skirting any issues. He is presenting to the American people the things that he wants to do. The reason he wants to be president is to provide opportunity to as many people as he can. That doesn't come from a place of 'Well, this sounds good' or 'This would be good for my political career if I said this.' It comes from his own life experience. So, I know that he will spend every single day in office fighting for the American people to have educational opportunity, economic opportunity and career opportunity. His experience growing up is completely reflected in the kind of president he wants to be and the kind of policies he is presenting."

Imagine believing in your husband so much that you not only encourage him to run for president, but spend every weekend -- after a full work-week -- flying to Iowa to campaign on his behalf. Welcome to the life of Dr. Jill Biden.

"It's a little challenging in that I'm always changing hats," she said. "I'm grading papers in the car between campaign stops... It's a little hard to transition some of the time, but life is never dull."

Jill, spouse of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, has been an educator for 27 years. She has taught as a reading specialist, as a high school English teacher, in a mental health institution and, for the past 15 years, at a community college. Even now, in the thick of a presidential campaign, she continues to spend five days a week in the classroom before traveling to Iowa on weekends. She also proudly admits that she brought all of this on herself.

"Actually, this time, we went to Joe and asked him to run," she said. "After Bush won again I was flabbergasted. I mean, I didn't know anybody at all who voted for Bush. I just didn't think he could win again. I was so disappointed in the fact that John Kerry didn't win and that Bush's policies were going to continue.

"We talked as a family before Joe even knew about it and we went to Joe two years ago and said, 'We think you are the only one that can pull together the red states and the blue states and build consensus on issues that are important. We think you should run.' And, he did."

Although Jill and the rest of the Biden clan gladly accept responsibility for pushing the Delaware senator into becoming a candidate for president, the couple owes credit to Joe's brother for their introduction.

"I was at the University of Delaware and I knew Joe's brother," she said. "Joe's brother suggested to him that he ask me out. I had met Joe... you know how you go to fund raisers and shake hands? That really was the extent of it. When he called me so out of the blue my first thought was 'How did he get my number?'"

Joe phone Jill on a Saturday afternoon... and she already had a date.

"He asked if I couldn't cancel the other date because he was only in town for one night," she said. "So, I did. I canceled the other date, because I thought it might be interesting to go out and see what he was like. We went out and, two years later, we were married."

When Jill met Joe, he had two sons, Beau and Hunter. His previous wife and young daughter had been killed in an automobile accident.

"We dated together," she said. "Most dates we all dated together. We got married as a family. We were all there and the boys were on the alter when we got married."

Five years later, the couple had a daughter, Ashley. All of the children are now grown and five grandchildren have been added to the family. Since Joe previously launched a bid for the White House in the late 1980s, the family members are no strangers to national politics or Iowa.

"I spent the summer of 1987 out here in Iowa because [Joe] in Washington fighting the nomination of Robert Bork to the United States Supreme Court," she said. "Wherever I go I run into a lot of people that supported Joe -- a lot of teachers for Biden with our little apple pins on. I see a lot of the old friends who are signing up again and coming back. It's great. I mean, I feel very comfortable. I feel very at home here in Iowa. It's very much like Delaware in that Delaware is agricultural and the people are friendly. This is where I come. When they send people out to other states, they always send me to Iowa because this is where I like coming the best."

Despite urging her husband to run for the nation's highest office and working on the stump each weekend for the campaign, Jill says she probably wouldn't be politically active if she wasn't married to Joe.

"I would not say that I'm a political activist," she said. "I think we care about a lot of the same things. I think we have the same morals and values. I think those are the things that tie us together. Of course, we care about a lot of the same things, but we don't always have the same position on issues or I may care about something more than he does. I like to say that we compliment one another. I don't think I'd be involved [in politics] otherwise. I don't know.

"I think I am like the average American. I'm in a community college classroom. I have students who are working and going to school and have children. I think I'm dealing with real life every single day. I take that home to Joe and say, 'Look. These students can't afford college. They are having these problems. We have to change this. We have to change that.' I think what I do in my life experiences has a positive impact on Joe and, hopefully, it expands to have a positive influence on other people."

Jill's life passions are currently split between the Biden Breast Health Initiative and education.

"In 1993, I had three close friends who had breast cancer and, actually, one of those friends died," she said. "As an educator, my first thought was to what I could do. I mean, I'm not a medical person, but what could I do as an educator. So, I developed the Biden Breast Health Initiative. We go into the high schools and teach the young girls about breast self-exam, the importance of early detection, good breast health and health practices. Hopefully they go home and they talk to their moms and grandmoms or sisters and they practice [breast self-exam]. Early detection is the key."

She said that, as First Lady, her primary focus would be education, but more in the realm of life-long learners.

"[My focus] would include not just the issues in the schools, but the health care issues," she said. "I do think that we should educate young women about breast health and breast self-exam. And I also think we have to educate about childhood obesity, smoking and so many things. So it would definitely be education in the broader sense."

She also looks at other issues, like national security, with a wide lens.

"I want to return to a time when Americans feel safe again," she said. "That doesn't mean just with the issue of terrorism. I want them to feel safe in all aspects of their life whether it is with their health care, sending their kids to school or crime on the streets. I think Joe can address all those issues. Of course, he is a leader in foreign policy and I think that's what makes the difference for Joe Biden as a president versus the other candidates. I think he is the only who can really reach across the aisle, unite the red states and the blue states, work with Republicans as well as Democrats and that's why he is successful."

All five of the Romney brothers have been instrumental in Mitt Romney's presidential campaign -- which has truly become a family affair. The youngest, Craig, and his wife, Mary, broke away from a phone bank at the University of Iowa long enough to say why they were willing to put their lives on hold and undertake this endeavor.

"I can't speak for the rest of my brothers," said 26-year-old Craig. "But, personally, I don't think there is anything more important that I could be doing right now with my life than helping my dad to get elected. Obviously, I'm a little bit biased -- I mean, he is my dad -- but it goes deeper than that. I think the reason I'm willing to put my life on hold right now is that I've seen what he's been able to accomplish as governor. I've seen what he's been able to accomplish as CEO of the Olympics, as a businessman, but -- not only that -- I've seen what kind of father he's been and what kind of a grandfather he's been to my son. Because of that, he has my utmost respect and I think there is no one better qualified to be president of the United States."

Family respect, however, is not just limited to the former Massachusetts governor.

"Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama get a lot of attention," he said. "But when people get to hear my mom speak they always ask us why we don't get her out there more. She's out there! She's doing everything she can and I think that she's now starting to get more attention as people realize how really special she is."

The First Lady hopeful, Ann Romney, launched her own campaign website, has been featured in campaign ads and has hosted conference calls with the press. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the fall of 1998, and devotes time to raising awareness of the disease.

"We always say, when we travel the country, that we want to be campaigning for Ann for First Lady," said Mary with a laugh.

The brothers' devotion to their mom and dad and to the presidential campaign drew some fire in late August at a stop in Bettendorf when Mitt answered a question about his sons not being a part of the military.

"The good news is that we have a volunteer Army and that's the way we're going to keep it," the candidate said, adding, "One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping to get me elected, because they think I'd be a great president."

The "good news," according to Mitt, was that his sons didn't have to fight if they didn't want to.

"I think the question was fair," Craig said. "I also think my dad admits that he made a mistake when he answered that. I don't think he was actually trying to compare what we do to military service, but it was in the same breath. Because of that, obviously, he understands -- and many other people understand -- that it was a mistake for him to say that.

"I also understand that what we are doing now makes absolutely no comparison to military service. We have tremendous respect for those who are serving in the military and couldn't say enough about the sacrifice they are making for the country. What we're doing is trying to help my dad get elected, but I don't think that there is really any comparison there."

Despite what Craig and Mary freely admit was a gaffe, they said there is to be a lesson learned there.

"One of the greatest things about being out there and involved in the community as a part of this campaign is that before we may not have been some of the most politically active people, but now we know what is going on in Washington and throughout the country," said Mary. "We've had opportunity to travel the country and meet with some of the most active people in their communities and in their states. We're having an opportunity to really learn about the heart of the American people. You do get to get involved. Obviously, it is not on that same level [with military service], but you do get to be involved in this country and what it stands for."

Craig and Mary, along with their young son, Parker, found home -- at least for awhile -- in the campaign's "Mitt Mobile."

"For a while we were actually between apartments so the Mitt Mobile was home," Craig admitted and laughed. "We spent a lot of time on the road in New Hampshire, Florida and South Carolina. So, we spent more time in the Mitt Mobile than we did at home. It's fun. Like Mary said, we've been able to get out there and meet people who are politically active, who love this country and want the future to be bright. I think it has been a great blessing... although I might not be singing the same tune a year from now. At that point, I may be saying I just want to go home, but so far it's been a blast."

At the time of the interview, the couple had campaigned in Iowa nearly 10 times. They visited a portion of the counties on the 99 county bus tour launched by older brother Josh, had played catch in the field of dreams and rode along on part of RAGBRAI.

"It's hard to say this because people think you are being disingenuous, but I love it here in Iowa," Craig said. "The people here are just so kind and real. You know when you are here because -- coming from New York City, where we live, it's just the hustle and bustle and everyone is just getting along with their lives and you just don't stop and talk to people -- and here it is just such a change of pace and so refreshing to meet people who just genuinely kind and willing to help out and do anything. Even those who maybe aren't supporters of my dad go out of their way to help us.

Iowans fair "very well" when compared to the rest of the nation and political awareness, he said.

"In my opinion," interjected Mary, "Iowans are just far above the rest of the nation. You are simply so saturated here."

Craig added that because Iowa "had long been a critical part" of the nomination process, people here take it seriously.

"I think one of the reasons the rest of the nation trusts Iowa to play their critical role in the process is that Iowans do their research," he said. "Iowans are going to go out. They are going to hear all the candidates speak. They are going to find out about the issues and do their homework. Part of the reason we are so excited about my dad's campaign is that he is doing so well here in Iowa. People here in Iowa are very educated and they know their politics. They've seen it before and they can tell who is the right person for the job."

Had it not been for a Utah fund-raiser and bad knee, Chris and Jackie Dodd might never have become a couple.

"It was almost 20 years ago and I was helping a senator named Jake Garn of Utah put together a charity event in Park City," Jackie said. "It was called the Senator's Ski Cup, an event that raised money for the Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

"The second year, [Chris] was attending, but he had not skied in about 20 years and had a bad knee. Senator Garn was a Republican from Utah, but he was friends with Chris so he said to me, 'You use to ski a lot. Will you please make sure he gets down this mountain safely?' So, I was assigned to teach him how to take gates, racing down the course that became the very bottom part of the 2002 Olympic course."

Jackie, a native of Utah, said even if she and the Connecticut Senator had been previously acquainted in Washington, D.C. where they both worked, she would have not considered approaching him.

"We met at the charity event and it was great because it was a wonderful equalizer," she said. "I had been in Washington for about five years and had never met him. I never would have thought about going out with him in Washington. I was a lowly staffer and, certainly, would barely talk to a senator under those circumstances."

Jackie had been working in the beltway for five years on defense appropriations, foreign policy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Although Chris was serving in the United States Senate at that time, the two hadn't had opportunity to work together on an issue.

"I was very active in public policy," she said. "I was very interested in foreign relations and defense work. From the time I was a little kid, I was reading newspapers, and my grandfather would always call and ask what the scuttlebutt was. You always had to have an answer for him so you learned how to pick up a newspaper and know what was going on in the world."

Jackie served for more than a decade in a wealth of national legislative positions. She was an assistant for foreign policy, trade and issues of national security for Garn. She served as an associate staff member to the Appropriations Committee and as a professional staff member on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on International Finance and Monetary Policy.

In May of 1997 she was nominated by President Bill Clinton as vice chairwoman and first vice president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She was confirmed the following month and, 18 months into her tenure, she became the bank's chief operating officer.

Given that she came into the relationship with her own political credentials, did Jackie find the prospect of beginning a relationship with a sitting United States Senator unnerving?

"Oh, that was still scary," she said with a full smile and laugh. "I had never thought about becoming the spouse of or the girlfriend of... that wasn't in my game plan. So, the whole idea of it was scary with all the loss of privacy that goes along with it. You know, you can toil in the vineyards of public policy for decades and never have to really stick your neck up and get your head chopped off. It was really scary -- sometimes it still is."

The couple began dating after their "equalizing" encounter on the Utah slopes and continued their relationship for over 11 years before getting married.

"Did I mention his whole family is Irish?" she asked. "Although they've been in the United States since 1850s and 1870s, he comes from a very Irish family. And, the Irish just aren't that quick to marry. They take a long time to make up their minds. He likes to say it took him a decade to convince me. But I know he can keep a secret because we were engaged for about two years before we married and we didn't tell anyone."

The couple's relationship throughout Chris's re-elections to the Senate have provided Jackie with opportunities, both as a girlfriend and a wife, to play a role in campaigning.

"I had been around three of his Senate races," she said. "I had been dating him for over four years during the first race in 1992 and was much more able to stay in the background. People knew who I was, but I was able to do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work -- like ad campaigns and debate preparation. It was the same thing really in 1998. I was not someone they were looking to quote on policy at all. I think I may have been in a couple of articles where they were giving his biography where it was said that he's been dating this woman forever."

During the 2004 campaign, Jackie was pregnant with the couple's youngest daughter, Christina, and had their three-year-old daughter, Grace, at home.

"I was pregnant, but I was also very sick with the pregnancy," she said. "So, I didn't do a lot of campaign stops without him, although I would go with him."

Iowa and the other early states, she said, are really her first experiences serving as a campaign spokesperson for her husband. Chris and Jackie are also one family out of two in the Democratic field who have the added dynamic of traveling with young children. Their two daughters, now 5 and 2, are often with one or the other at campaign stops.

"You know, I'm one of these people who turned to shopping online for groceries," she said while her cheeks flushed from the confession. "I had the groceries delivered because the thought of taking two little girls to the grocery store is so overwhelming. It just seems like even simple tasks become much harder. All mothers and fathers who've done this know that when you are moving with children, it's just not like moving alone. It just takes so much more energy. And, the truth is, that if Christina needs a potty break -- she needs a potty break."

Iowans and voters in the other early states, she said, have been understanding of the challenges of traveling with the girls.

"I think most people recognize that it is more difficult to have control of any situation when you have them with you," she said. "We've had everything from wardrobe malfunctions to Christina taking off her clothes -- you just can't script a two-year-old. We have the youngest children on the campaign trail, on the Democratic side, and I think we have the only one in diapers. But the girls have been great sports about it and they've been doing all these great, unpredictable things that little ones do."

During one of Chris's campaign speeches in Boone, their oldest daughter, Grace, didn't want to release her father so that he could go onto the stage. She clung to him until he reached the microphone and then went to sit with her mother. When their father announced the two girls by name, however, Christina jumped up, ran in front of her father and began Irish step dancing.

"She just cracked the place up and she was only doing what her two-year-old self wanted to do at that moment," Jackie said and laughed at the memory. "We work to make sure that they are around us when they want to be around us. We also try to make sure they are swimming at the hotel when they want to be. It's important for them to have a little control in their lives too."

Since campaigning with two young children is such a challenge -- and obviously something the couple would have taken into consideration before launching this campaign -- why did they throw their hat into the ring?

For several years -- even before Jackie and Chris began their relationship -- it has been floated that Chris should consider a run for the White House.

"In April of last year, he asked me to get a babysitter so that we could take a walk," she said. "That's where he talked to me. We finished the walk and then went out to dinner and I told him that he had some very distinct ideas about where this country should be headed -- that he was so disappointed about the nation's current direction. I told him that if this was what he wanted to do that I'd be behind him all the way.

"My first thought was 'Oh my goodness! I don't want to be the little old lady on the porch next to him that told him not to run.' A little further into the thought process I also realized that I have absolute confidence in his ability to bring people together. This country has been behaving like it is so divided, even though I know most Americans just want our moral authority to be restored. I realized that I have no doubts that he is actually the person who can do the job."

Pink rose on Hunter Biden's cheeks and then spread quickly to cover his entire face as he was presented with the interview question his father, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, had planted the night before: "Are you 'portant yet?"

A small grin turned to a full tooth spread as he responded, "No, not quite yet. I haven't reached that goal."

When Hunter was young, he and his father took a ride in a convertible.

"It was a beautiful day for that ride," Senator Biden said at a house party the night before the scheduled interview with his youngest son. "Robert Hunter told me that he planned to be 'portant' so you should ask him if has made it yet."

The Senator, known for both his passion and humor on the Iowa campaign trail, was certain this would serve as a good ice breaker for the interview. He also suggested Hunter be asked how much he loved his father.

"I love my dad more than anything," Hunter said and laughed again. "I know the answer to that one."

Hunter, now a married father of three, was 17-years-old the first time he came to Iowa to campaign for his father.

"In our family, it's hard not to be active [in the campaign] because we all spend so much time together," he said. "If there's a campaign, then we're all on the campaign trail together."

One of the main differences between this campaign and the previous presidential bid is the duration, he said.

"That time frame was so much more compressed," he said. "I remember we announced in June and then the campaign started. I don't think that half the other candidates have even announced yet. It wasn't nearly as full blown campaigning as it seems to have been since January of this year."

When he is not campaigning, however, Hunter, like all of the Biden children, has spent time providing community and public service.

"My mom says we've listened to too many of my dad's speeches," he said. "It was kind of expected of us and also -- I think more than anything -- something that we aspired to. I've always felt that it was a responsibility of anyone who could to spend some of his or her time giving back. So, whether it was my brother working at the Justice Department or my sister working as a social worker or whatever it was -- We looked at what our dad did as service. As much as it is an honor to be a United States Senator, I always looked at what he did as the highest calling. That's why I've never been really cynical about politics -- even though there is a lot to be cynical about in politics. The the best sense of the word, a politician -- an elected official -- holds a sacred trust and I always looked at what he did as being a noble thing."

After graduating from college Hunter worked with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, a program rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition that works with the homeless, unemployed, abused and mentally or physically ill. It was during this service that he met his wife, Kathleen, who is originally from Chicago. Making $80 per month, he ran an emergency services center in Portland, Oregon that helped families with utilities, government, groceries or with other immediate needs. His wife was also working with JVC, running a social center for mentally ill adults, many of whom were Vietnam veterans.

"I think my dad has always had an idealism about what he does and he has passed that on to us," Hunter said. "I think he feels more than anything if you can wade through the bad parts of politics, that what you really have an opportunity to do is help people. One thing I did learn is that you don't have to be a United States Senator to help people. You don't have to be an elected official to serve."

In addition to his father, Hunter says he learned a lot about public service from his maternal grandfather, Robert Neil Hunter, his namesake, who owned and operated the Hunter Diner in Auburn, N.Y.

"Here's this guy who ran a diner and I think he ran the concessions at the local community college," he said. "He wasn't elected to anything, but when he died more people came up to me at his funeral -- people that I'd never met before and people I think my grandmother had never met before. They told me that my grandfather paid for their first year of college or convinced them to go into this or that field of study. What it taught me was that you don't need to be important to affect people's lives."

In May 2006, Hunter, a founding partner of Oldaker, Biden & Belair, was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve on the AMTRAK Reform Board. His father is well known for riding the AMTRAK rails from Delaware to D.C. when the Senate is is session. Hunter also serves on the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, an organization that advocates for research funding.

"I was asked by a person who ended up becoming a friend to serve on the board," he said. "It made me very aware of the people that I knew -- no one in my family directly -- but friends whose fathers or people who were friends with my father had prostate cancer. It made me realize that it is a disease that is very rarely talked about. In terms of the way it is talked about or not talked about it, it is quite like breast cancer was 15 years ago. And -- this is a horrible way to say it -- but it is not a 'sexy disease,' not that many diseases are."

One of the services the coalition provides is a mobile assessment unit that goes into under-served neighborhoods and provides prostate cancer exams.

"They go out into areas of people who not only aren't educated about prostrate cancer, but people who aren't going to the doctor generally," he said. "You'd be surprised with how many men show up for this testing. It's really a great thing."

Because his father has been such a major and positive influence on his own life in terms of giving back to community and more, Hunter said he knows his father can do the same for the entire country. He's so convinced that he and his entire family "vacationed" in Iowa, spending just as much time at campaign events as they did with leisure activities.

"I don't really have a role, per say, with the campaign," he said. "What I see it as is just me being here to talk about my dad as a dad. One of the things that made it easier as a family to decide to do this again -- and we really did decide this as a family -- was knowing that Iowa would play such an important role, as it always does. After 1987 there were so many people out here who remained loyal -- not just loyal in terms of the politics of it, but as friends. We have so many friends out here that we've kept in touch with for 20 years. The experience was nothing but wonderful. Out of every bad thing, something good comes. And, one of the great things that came out of getting out of that race in 1987 was the friends we had made in Iowa that remained wonderful friends.

"For me, it's just to be out here as often as I can and to speak to as many people as I can. I just need to tell the story of my dad. I don't necessarily have to be a surrogate or talk about a particular issue, but just to talk to people about my dad. I help them realize that Joe Biden is exactly what he seems when you meet him, he's exactly who he says he is when you get to hear him talk. There are a lot of people who say they know him, but what they know is that really smart guy who looks good on Sunday morning television. I think they believe he just stepped out of some Ivy League tower and don't realize he grew up in Claremont, Delaware and his father managed auto dealerships. He's a real guy."

He said his thankful for the opportunity to vacation in Iowa, because certain realities have been reinforced in his own mind.

"I've been so encouraged by being out in Iowa," he said. "One hundred million dollars is not going to buy you one Iowan caucus-goer. Period. Iowa caucus-goers are the leveling mechanism for this campaign. What they are able to do is sift through all this star power and all this money and bring everything back to the ideas and the issues. As much as dad has been out here and has come back and said, 'I tell ya what, we're in this. We're absolutely in this.' Logically you know it is true, but it is something you can feel when you come here. We have a chance of actually winning this thing -- right here in Iowa. That's what I believe."

For Bill and Barbara Richardson it all began with a ride to school. The rest is 35 years of love, history and public service.

"You are going to laugh, but, the truth is, [Bill] was a tall, shy, skinny kid back then," Barbara said as she recalled the first time she and Bill met in Concord, Mass. He attended a boarding school located across the street from her home. On the day they first met, Barbara gave him a ride from downtown back to the school.

"I like to tell him that he's still tall," she quickly added with a laugh. "He's also trying to be skinny, albeit unsuccessfully. And, he'll never be shy again."

Before they met, Barbara had heard about Bill, then an all-star player on the school's baseball team. The two of them "just hit it off," she said.

"I don't know really what it was. Perhaps it was just the proximity of our house to the school and that he was able to take refuge there. My father always says that he fed [Bill] his dowry over the seven years that we dated. So, I guess he enjoyed the meals over across the street. It was definitely a natural attraction and we've been together ever since -- we've virtually grown up together."

Bill was the only Hispanic student at the school, having come to Massachusetts in 1961 from his home in Mexico City. Just a few short months after that first car ride, Bill left a sombrero and a love note on Barbara's porch. They were married in 1972 and, as newlyweds, made their way to Washington, D.C. where Bill worked on Capitol Hill and began learning first-hand about politics.

From there the couple moved to New Mexico and Bill worked as a staffer for the local Democratic Party while teaching government at a community college. Soon, however, Bill would win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and the couple would be back in the beltway. After 14 years in Congress, Bill served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary to the Department of Energy and, currently, as governor of New Mexico.

In 2002, when Bill was first elected governor, both he and Barbara set to work to rebuild the struggling state. As the state's First Lady, Barbara served as honorary chairwoman for the New Mexico Immunization coalition.

"Immunization is one of those issues that found me when I learned very early on in my husband's first administration that New Mexico was 49th in the country," she said. "I immediately began to think about what I could do to change that. So, I assembled the forces -- Children, Youth and Families, our department of health, and some of the other related agencies -- to really address the issue. Because, to me, that was a no-brainer. There's no reason that children shouldn't be immunized in a day and age when these vaccines are available. I'm old enough to remember the days of the iron lung and the people who had polio. I really thought it was important and we've made some great progress. We're not 100 percent yet and we're not where I want to be, but we've certainly raised the awareness which is a big part of the battle."

In just three years, New Mexico moved from 49th in the nation for number of children immunized to 15th. The state recently earned a national award from the Center for Disease Control for being the state with the most improved immunization record.

"In the 1990s there was a shortage of some of the vaccines," she said. "I also think a lot of the issue was education, especially in some of the more rural counties. Here in Iowa, you have a number of rural counties and trying to reach those people, especially a transit population... it is not always easy for parents to know the proper timing of vaccines."

When asked about the "honey, I think I want to run for president" conversation, Richardson laughed and said that discussion was pretty "one-sided."

"He did most of the talking," she said. "I think I was too stunned... He had some persuading to do, you know? This is not an easy undertaking in any sense of the word. I think any spouse will tell you that. It's a big decision and a huge consideration. It's also an investment of time, money and effort.

"You just don't sit down one night and say, 'Gee, honey, I want to run for president so I think I'll do it tomorrow and announce.' I mean, it is something that happens over time. I think he has the experience. He's spent 25 years doing all of these different things, both legislatively and in the executive branch. His hostage negotiations, I think, make him particularly unique and separates him out from some of the other candidates. I think it is something that develops over time... that you drop a hint here and there. Would I have gone out and said, 'Gee, Bill, I think you ought to run for president'? No. I wouldn't have. But, given that he's made that decision, I told him as I always have that I would support him."

Traveling and meeting new people in Iowa and across the nation, she said, has been one of the aspects of campaigning that she's enjoyed most.

"It's been a really interesting experience for me. Honestly, people have been terrific -- no matter who they support," she said. "They've all been really nice to us and very receptive. I think when people meet Bill, they react to him very positively. So, his challenge is just to get out there and meet people and let them know what he things.

"Iowa is half the size of New Mexico geographically, but it still a big state to cross. It all takes time. Putting together a nationwide campaign is a tremendous effort. Trying to assemble your staff people and raising money at the same time is really demanding. The whole point of your effort is to get out and meet people and to familiarize yourself with the issues -- not only nationally, but of the state -- and then also to familiarize them with your record. That's the whole point of the thing, but you have to spend so much time fund raising. That's a really difficult part of the campaign."

The media and its lack of attention to all the candidates, she said, is a challenge.

"I think the other part that's been frustrating somewhat for me and, I think, some of his supporters is this idea that there are only three candidates out there and that the race is over," she said. "That is not at all the case. If you look at history, if you look at a lot of pollsters and listen to them, they will tell you that the candidate who is ahead at this point has not traditionally been the nominee. That's frustrating when there are other candidates out there who are working just as hard -- maybe not raising as much money, maybe not with the same name recognition -- but, certainly, they are working. They are certainly putting out the same effort. I think it is wrong to just preclude that the race is over."

With the national media so focused on only three candidates, she said, the role of the early states becomes even more important.

"I think what I've learned is that both in Iowa and New Hampshire the voters take their responsibility extremely seriously," she said. "Because they are the first states and because they are going to be the ones who will thrust a candidate or two into the front of the pack, they take this responsibility seriously and I think that is very important. It is gratifying as a candidate to see because they weigh people equally in terms of opportunity to address them as caucus-goers."

Meeting and learning more about family members provides voters just one more insight into the candidates, she said.

"People are always very gracious to me," she said. "They like to meet the spouse. I think it gives them a little bit better perspective on who the candidate is. It says something about the candidate."

Barbara isn't willing yet to discuss what particular issue she might champion as First Lady of the United States, preferring, she said, "to take one step at a time."

"I've always been involved as First Lady in New Mexico with domestic violence, immunizations and literacy," she said. "I certainly would not take a back seat in relation to the issues I care about, but, to get specific, I haven't gotten there yet."

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans -- and happy belated to my Canadian friends. In lieu of subjecting the Essential Estrogen readers to a sappy or personally humiliating family story, I thought I'd give you a list of some of my favorite blogs and bloggers -- the folks I'm thankful for each day.

(Note: We are heading over to the mother-in-law's home today... probably already there by the time this scheduled post pops up on the site. So, there's still hope for a personally humiliating story later in the day. I'll let you know.)

• Iowa Independent -- Every day I have the pleasure and honor of working with some of the most thoughtful writers on the net. Not only is this how I put "food on my family," but something I enjoy so much that most days it doesn't even feel like work. (Although I must say that spending a night in a cold box is an excellent incentive for working hard and keeping your bosses happy.)

  Today, then, I'm thankful for such talented co-workers who make me laugh, keep me sane and, at times, drive me a little crazy. Many have personal blogs that you should visit and add to your blogrolls:

  • Dana Boone
  • Adam Burke
  • Douglas Burns
  • John Deeth
  • Dien Judge
  • T.M. Lindsey
  • Chase Martyn
  • Jay Wagner

  Of course this thanks extends to others close to the program -- Robin, Ali, Bill, Jeff, David, Herb and all the members of the copy editing team.

  Along those same lines, I must give thanks to four more sites, all full of wonderful people -- some I've met and some I haven't, but all are now woven into the fabric of my life: Minnesota Monitor, RH Reality Check, Colorado Confidential, and Michigan Messenger.

• Around Des Moines, Red Hog Diary, The Real Sporer and Rode Hard & Put Up Wet -- Bloggers will tell you that they are first and foremost thankful for readers. A close second are comment posters. The people associated with these four blogs are folks who read here and frequently post here as well. Chris, M.R., Ted and Lorna -- I'm thankful for each of you today for keeping the conversation flowing, even when we have differences of opinion. Keep writing (this especially goes for you, Lorna) because I know I'm not the only one who is reading and enjoying.

• Century of the Common Iowan and Blog for Iowa -- When I first began looking for Iowa-based blogs, these were the first two I found and they have remained in my favorites since that first day.

• Bleeding Heartland, The Demo Memo, Happy to be from Iowa, Iowa Insider, Lisa's Women's Music & Events and Women for Peace Iowa Blog -- There simply are not enough female bloggers in Iowa who write outside of the realm of daily existence, but I'm extremely thankful for the "small but mighty" group we do have. (For the record, M.R. from Around Des Moines belongs in this group too, but I gave thanks for her already.)

• Alas, a Blog, Blue Gal, Bookslut, Feministe, Feministing, firedoglake, Freshmeat, Gloria Feldt and Real Women, Real Voices -- To be honest, there are hundreds of blogs that could fit in this category: Smart women who write interesting and/or important things. These are the ones I found readily in my web history. Thank, ladies, for all that you do -- and mostly for allowing me to read along.

• Democratic Underground - Iowa Forum -- I don't have time to visit very many message boards, but this is one I'm at several times a week. There is a core group of Iowa posters -- many of whom I've had opportunity to meet on the real streets -- who are amazing people. (We won't talk about the lurkers... after all, this is Thanksgiving!)

Obviously, I'm thankful for a great deal... and I'm leaving out so many, especially the right-leaning blogs I check frequently. Most of them know who they are, and, no doubt, are thankful that I'm spending time with family and not bothering them today.

In the coming weeks and in the upcoming new year, may we find more places with common ground. Happy Thanksgiving!

On Tuesday night, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards made a campaign stop at Coe College in Cedar Rapids with music artists Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne. Although a liveblog of the event was posted on Essential Estrogen that night, some readers have asked if there was an audio or video clip. Ask and ye shall receive! Below is an audio clip of Raitt and Browne performing "A Thing Called Love," a song from Raitt's 1990 Grammy Award winning album "Nick of Time."

In checking the site statistics over the past few days, I have several people coming to the site via Google. While that in and of itself isn't unusual, the search term leaves me a little worried.

"How do I get an absentee ballot for the Iowa caucus?"
"Can I vote absentee in the Iowa caucus?"
"Absentee ballot deadline Iowa caucus"

Since there is no easy way to express this, let me just come right out and say it: You cannot vote by absentee ballot for the Iowa caucus. You must show up and -- in front of God and everyone -- profess your support of a candidate. I guess you could also profess your non-support of a candidate, but that's getting into caucus strategy that will probably only further confuse the folks looking for their absentee ballots.

Soon -- at least by mid-December -- you should be able to find out where your precinct is having its caucus. No doubt they will all be listed in the paper, on your favorite candidate (or non-favorite candidate) website, or available through the county political parties. Once you have the location, you'll need to make plans to be in line no later than 7 p.m. Show up early if you can since doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the group must wait for the meat and potatoes of preference groups until everyone is signed in. If you aren't registered, you can register on caucus night.

All Iowans who are eligible to vote can also caucus. A young person who will turn 18 before the November general election can caucus.

Iowans are no strangers to national influence. Every four years large groups, hoping to drive national conversations and set public policy, open offices in the state. The groups' pet issues are as varied as there is public sentiment and range from education to sub-prime lending, from health care to global warming. There is at least one group in the state, however, that not only takes its marching orders from local residents, but is having a major impact on how presidential candidates and local activists view the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Iowans for AIDS Action is a project undertaken by many people throughout the state, said Kaytee Riek, a grassroots organizer. Members include Iowans living with HIV/AIDS, health care providers, people of faith, concerned citizens and students. The group aims, according to Riek, to force presidential candidates to not only recognize that AIDS, at home and abroad, is a major crisis, but something they can address. The group expects -- and has had at least two candidates provide -- comprehensive plans as to how candidates will respond to the crisis when they become President.

"We have regular folks -- volunteers -- who go to events for the various presidential candidates," she said. "They go to the events, raise this issue and ask questions. They try to make sure, for example that the presidential candidates support $50 billion dollars over 5 years for Global AIDS."

That particular goal is something that all the Democratic presidential candidates have all agreed to support.

"Six months ago, none of them knew if they were going to support it," Riek said. "But they do now. That's why we go out to the candidates and raise these issues."

The group has received full plans from both former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. They've also gathered signatures on a pledge to commit the $50 billion over 5 years from New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd. Although no Republican presidential hopefuls have signed the pledge or written a detailed plan, Riek said there has still been progress.

"When we started out, we'd go ask... for instance, Gov. [Mitt] Romney a question about Global AIDS," she said. "We'd tell him that Global AIDS is a major crisis, especially to our national security because it destablizes regions. This is one way we can turn sentiment toward America -- to show that we are a generous country as well as a strong country."

Riek said after giving a brief summary of the problem and how it can impact our nation, the volunteer would then ask for the monetary commitment.

"The first time we asked that question, Romney's answer was something along the lines of 'I don't know much about that program,'" she said. "That's surprising considering President George W. Bush started the initial program in 2003. We are going to spend $6 billion dollars this year on that program.

"Now, when we ask Gov. Romney that same question, he has stopped saying that he hasn't heard of the program and that he doesn't know much about it. Granted, his answer could be better, but he is saying that is important to continue the program even if he will not commit to the $50 billion over 5 years. He wants to continue and expand upon the existing program and that's definitely a step in the right direction."

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain have both agreed to maintain treatment for one-third of people around the world in clinical needs. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is similar to Romney in that he had initially not heard about the program, but is now willing to say the program should be expanded and continued.

"I went to go talk to [former Tennessee Sen.] Fred Thompson last week," Riek said. "Two of us went and asked about the global AIDS crisis and if he would commit to treat one-third of people around the world in clinical needs. His answer was the shortest answer I've ever heard from a candidate in my life. The answer was, 'I've heard of the program. Don't know much about it.' And, that was his whole answer. He's new to the game and hasn't been in Iowa very much, but he's got a long way to go before he understands and recognizes that this is important."

Educating and informing the candidates, Riek said, is a job that's made easier by the fact that, for the most part, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is not a social hot-button issue.

"President Bush -- the ultimate social conservative -- is the one that got us the first $15 billion dollars," she said. "One of the things that can be challenging with the Global AIDS program -- and one thing that people on the ground will often criticize -- is that one-third of prevention funding has to go abstinence only education. I think that needs to change, but it is there right now. It's there because President Bush and Republicans in Congress want to keep it there."

Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life," is planning a conference in California at the end of November, just before World AIDS Day, and has invited all the presidential candidates. Clinton has already agreed to attend and several others are working to re-arrange their schedule so they can attend.

"He is part of the social conservative evangelical movement," Riek said. "And he's holding a conference where he is inviting people from across the aisle to talk about something that supersedes politics -- something that's important beyond Republican versus Democrat. I think people in general realize that. We can nit-pick the edges of the program, but, what it comes down to, is that funding for Global AIDS is good and there aren't many people in this country who are going to say that it is bad."

Prayer Vigils Call for Comprehensive Plans

As a part of their public awareness and candidate "bird-dog" campaign, Iowans for AIDS Action will be holding five candle light vigils on the night of Tuesday, Nov. 27. The vigils in Des Moines, Cedar Falls, Davenport, Iowa City and Decorah will feature people living with HIV, pastors and community leaders while targeting presidential hopefuls who have not completed a comprehensive plan to fight AIDS.

"Christians in Iowa care about important issues of justice, like fighting AIDS at home and abroad," said Bishop Phillip Hougen of the Southeast Iowa Lutheran Church Synod, who plans to speak at the Iowa City vigil.

In Des Moines the vigil will take place outside the Huckabee Headquarters, located at 6th and Locust. Participants should gather at 6 p.m. The Davenport vigil will be held at 1416 W. 16th St., outside Clinton's headquarters. It will begin at 5:30 p.m. In Iowa City, the vigil will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 320 E. College, and will then march to the offices of Clinton and Giuliani. The Decorah event also begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be held on the campus of Luther College.

The Cedar Falls event will be held on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, outside Maucker Union. It begins at 5:30 p.m. and all the presidential candidates have been invited to attend.

"The AIDS crisis claims the lives of 3 million people a year, and treatment costs less than $100 per patient per year around the world," said Riek. "People are dying on waiting lists for AIDS drugs in this country. We need the candidates to recognize that the unnecessary death of millions can be prevented. It is our moral responsibility to address this."

Iowa Sen. Tom Courtney, D-Burlington, wasn't necessarily surprised when a letter critical of him appeared in the Burlington Hawkeye. The newspaper, as far as he knows, prints "pretty much every letter they receive" and criticism, he says, is just a part of political life. While he found the content of the letter questionable, it wasn't until he read the name of the author that he began to realize there might be more at play than constituent disgruntlement.

The letter, which painted Courtney and a former local official as being anti-business, appeared Tuesday, Nov. 20, on the paper's website. It was signed simply: "Brent Oleson, Marion."

Oleson, an attorney by trade, does maintain a residence in Marion with his family. As he points out in the letter, he grew up in the community and is a graduate of Burlington High School. What the letter and his signature fail to disclose is that he is also the administrative assistant to the highest ranking Republican member of the Iowa Senate, Ron Wieck of Sioux City. Previously, he worked for Mary Lundby of Marion, the former Senate Minority Leader.

Four days earlier, a similar letter appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, also signed "Brent Oleson, Marion," but this time critical of Rep. Swati Dandekar. That letter accused Dandekar, a Marion Democrat who has announced she will seek Lundby's vacated Senate seat in the next election, of engaging in double talk.

While there is no rule that prevents legislative staff from writing letters to the editor, it is not a typical or general practice and has generally been frowned upon.

"At a minimum it is deceptive," said Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal in a phone interview Tuesday. "It is unfortunate for the Republican side that their new leader has indicated that he is all politics, all the time. The day he won the title of minority leader, he said, 'Our sole goal has nothing to do with changing policy. It all has to do with getting a majority.' His statement was that he was going to play politics all the time and that he wasn't going to work on moving Iowa forward."

Wieck, whose own website highlights his agenda to return Republicans to the majority, maintains he neither knew nor approved of the letters written by his assistant.

"Someone had mentioned to me about the first letter -- I believe in the Cedar Rapids Gazette -- that it was in there," he said by phone Tuesday evening. "But I'm not sure why you are calling me. [Oleson] has a right to his personal opinion and his own time. He doesn't ask me if it is okay if he writes to the editor and I'm not even sure what's in the letters."

Oleson returned a phone call, but chose not to make public comment.

Courtney said that when he read the letter, which claimed he yelled on the floor of the Iowa Senate that he was tired of protecting small business, he found it "appalling."

"When I came into the Iowa Senate, I began working -- almost daily -- for an increase in the minimum wage," he said.

When he first came into office, the Senate was Republican controlled. A few years later, Senate was evenly split -- 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats. Only in 2006 did Democrats win majority.

Courtney said he worked throughout his tenure to pass legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Iowa. During the time when the Republicans had a majority, he said, none of his proposed bills gained traction. When the Senate was split, he worked to hammer out a compromise, but Republicans still took offense with the proposed bill and refused to pass it. The statement in the letter referenced his remarks as floor manager of the minimum wage increase that passed during the 2007 session.

"Every day -- during the time that we were evenly split -- I would bring it up," he said. "And every day they would say no. Knowing that an increase might be a strain on some small businesses for a short time, I proposed amendments that would protect those businesses. Still, the Republicans said no because they were not interested in doing anything with the minimum wage.

"When we won majority and I was floor managing the bill, they starting bringing amendments up -- I don't know how many exactly -- but some of them offering the very things that I'd tried to compromise on before. These were the very same things that the Republicans had voted down previously when they had the numbers to do so."

When then Senate Minority Leader Mary Lundby attacked Courtney for refusing to help small business, he said that he made the statement which led to the quote in Oleson's letter.

I told Lundby that I'd been working this bill for four years and that I was sick and tired of hearing about small businesses," he said. "I told her that she had never wanted to hear about small businesses before, when I had compromises, and that we were now going to run this bill as it was in our packet. That's what I said. I wasn't yelling and I wasn't screaming."

Iowa Rep. Marcie Frevert of Emmetsburg has been officially announced as the first lawmaker to endorse New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's presidential campaign. She will also serve on the campaign's newly established statewide leadership committee.

In her new role as state leader, Frevert will act as a pivotal contact for Richardson in her community and throughout the state, working closely with the campaign to organize support for the Jan. 3 caucus.

"What impresses me most about Governor Richardson is his lifetime of public service, including serving as a Congressman, Secretary of Energy, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Governor of New Mexico," Frevert said. "It is clear that he is the most qualified candidate to lead our country and restore our credibility within the international community. I am proud to endorse Governor Richardson for President and to join his Iowa leadership committee."

Frevert, a lifetime resident of Palo Alto County, is in her sixth term. She was an elementary school teacher for 30 years and has been active on the Ways and Means Committee, as well as on education issues and environmental protection. She and her husband, a veterinarian, have four children, twelve grand children and two great-grandchildren.

The leadership committee includes elected officials, Democratic activists, union leadership, members of the business and professional community and community leaders from across the state.

"Every day on the campaign trail I see and hear the desire for a presidential candidate who represents both experience and change," Richardson said. "I am that candidate. As President, on day one I will start solving the very real problems facing our country; I will end the war in Iraq, I will work towards solving our energy crisis and I will make sure that every American has access to universal health care."

In addition to Frevert, the following individuals will also serve on the committee:

• Former Gov. Robert Fulton of Waterloo
• Former State Rep. Brian Carter of Mount Pleasant
• City Councilman Matt Bemrich of Fort Dodge
• Businesswoman Mary Bro of Littl Sioux
• Pastor and Vietnam war veteran Kenneth Briggs of Clive
• Linn County Central Committee Secretary and activist Linda Chavez of Cedar Rapids
• IBEW International Representative Tad Gusta of Cedar Rapids
• Iraq war veteran and student Nathan Huss of Davenport
• Activist Brandi McCauley of Des Moines
• 5th District Central Committee member and teacher David Neas of Osceola

New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg, a national co-chairman of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, appeared on CNN tonight with Wolf Blitzer to discuss politics. In particular, Judd was asked his opinion on the recent increase of support for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee, a Republican candidate that seems to have found a home with social conservatives in Iowa, is closing the gap on Romney. The CBS/New York Times poll show Huckabee and Romney in a statistical dead heat in Iowa.

Most surrogates, when faced with poll numbers they don't like, tend to attack the poll. Others will waive it off and quickly return to the safe message of their campaign's grassroots support and overall strength in the early states. Sen. Gregg is no average surrogate.

When Blitzer asked him point blank how much of a threat Huckabee represented in Iowa, Gregg proceeded to dismiss the entire state:

"Well, I've always, being from New Hampshire, viewed Iowa as being a place where they pick corn and New Hampshire being a place where we pick presidents. So, quite honestly, I don't focus a whole lot on Iowa."

Gregg's words, of course, stand in direct contrast to those of Romney, who recently told the Associated Press: "Clearly, someone like myself, who's not a household name across the country, I want to do well in the early states to drive the attention to my campaign and my message."

Sinclair Auditorium at Coe College in Cedar Rapids is packed. I'm not sure how many the theater holds, but I'm estimating there are 400 people here. Parking, as always, was a huge issue for those who wanted to come this event featuring Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne.

It's 7:43 now and the show was supposed to begin at 7:30 p.m. So, at any moment now I think we'll be underway.

7:45 p.m. - The are are about 50 people on stage, serving as the event's backdrop. Linn County Sheriff Don Zeller is up there and appears to be sharing a joke with some others -- at least they are all laughing.

They've got the press regulated to the back four rows of the theater. There's some grumbling about that both from the press who doesn't like being so far back and from the attendees, who are wondering why they can't sit in the empty seats.

The natives are getting a little restless now. Someone has started a clapping and it has caught on. *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* The folks on stage are looking off to their right like maybe they see someone about to come on stage. "I Feel Good" is playing in the background.

7:52 p.m. - Audience members have now stopped listening to staff and are sitting in the press section. Any port in a storm, I guess.

7:56 p.m. - And we are underway. Sheriff Don Zeller was introduced by a Coe student (alum?) and it looks like he will be doing the introductions.

"Bonnie Raitt is a highly respected nine-time Grammy winner," Zeller said, and starts listing off bio information.

"Jackson Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002," he said and then lists some further background.

8:00 p.m. - Jackson Browne enters the stage to a standing ovation and nearly immediately begins playing an acoustic guitar and singing.

It was an anti-war ballad and the audience reacts very positively. He finishes, accepts the applause and then welcomes Bonnie Raitt to the stage.

"Davenport for breakfast," she sings and draws a big "whoop" from the crowd when she asks if they've saved the best for last.

Browne is wearing jeans and a black sports coat over a button-down shirt. Raitt is inn black jeans and a black shirt with red embroidry. There is another fellow on stage playing bass -- not sure who he is.

This is another politically-charged ballad. "Sun going down in the U.S.A. -- Sun coming up 100 years away."

Sun going down in the USA.
Down on Main there's a family sleeping in a doorway.
Around the corner you can hear the sound.
People dancing around the golden calf
Those who have not, those who have
On the billboards and the T.V. screens
They got food and cars and toys and trucks and jeans
Like a homeless child's fitfull dreams
Smiling faces free from wanting
Life's abundances beyond counting
World in motion -- speed your changes
Close your distances, find your angels
Lose your fears and meet your dangers
World in motion
Once we were running through smoke and fire
Running into the sun
In the rush of youth, for love and truth
Our deeds were done
Now we awake with a world at stake
And a race we run
We run
Sun going down on the USA
Sun coming up a hundred years away
On another world and another time
Things like hunger, greed and hatred
One way or another, gonna be eradicated
World in motion -- speed your changes
Close your distances, drive your angels
Lose your fears and meet your dangers
World in motion
'Till the world I look out at this world and see
Is the world I know this world can be
You have a volunteer in me
Now come on

8:10 p.m. - The crowd is loving it. "It is such a treat to be on the road here with John Edwards," Raitt said. "We had a choice to make and we chose John Edwards."

"This is for all the people that didn't get a chance to make their lives worth something," she says before beginning another song with Browne.

This is her song, "Angel From Montgomery."

I am an old woman
named after my mother
my old man is another
child who's grown old
If dreams were thunder
and lightning was desire
this old house it would've burned down
a long time ago
Make me an angel
that flies from Montgomery
Make me a poster
of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing
that I can hold on to
to believe in this livin'
is just a hard way to go
When I was a young girl
I had me a cowboy
he wasn't much to look at
he was a free ramblin' man
That was a long time
and no matter how I tried
the years they just rolled by
like a broken down dance
Make me an angel
that flies from Montgomery
Make me a poster
of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing
that I can hold on to
to believe in this livin'
is just a hard way to go
There's flies in the kitchen
I can hear them there buzzin'
And I ain't done nothing since I woke up today
But how the hell can a person
go on to work in the morning
come home in the evening
and have nothing to say
Make me an angel
that flies from Montgomery
Make me a poster
of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing
that I can hold on to
to believe in this livin'
is just a hard way to go

"Gimme that electric guitar," she says when the song is over. The next song is dedicated to true love, like "that of John and Elizabeth."

She strums the guitar after it is brought out to her and then apologizes for it being too loud. The audience reacts with laughter and encouragement to turn it up.

This is "A Thing Called Love" -- a song from her 1990 Grammy Award winning album "Nick of Time" -- and the audience is enjoying the upbeat and clapping along.

Don't have to humble yourself to me,
I ain't your judge or your king,
Baby! You know I ain't no queen of Sheba.
We may not even have our dignity,
This'll just be a powerful thing,
Baby! We can choose you know we ain't no amoeba.
Are you ready for a thing called love?
Don't come from me and you, it comes from up above.
I ain't no porcupine, take off your kid gloves.
Are you ready for a thing called love?
I ain't no icon carved out of soap.
Sent here to clean up your reputation.
Baby! You know you ain't no Prince Charming.
With your lilly fields I got a home,
Some kind of peaceful situation.
Baby! How come the cry of love is so alarming?
Are you ready for a thing called love?
Don't come from me and you, it comes from up above.
I ain't no porcupine, take off your kid gloves.
Are you ready for a thing called love?
Ugly ducklings turn into swans,
Glide on down the lake.
Whether your sunglasses are off or on,
You only see the world you make.
Are you ready for a thing called love?
Don't come from me and you, it comes from up above.
I ain't no porcupine, take off your kid gloves.
Are you ready for a thing called love?

8:22 p.m. - Raitt is welcoming John Edwards to the stage and the audience is on its feet again, chanting "Go, John, Go! Go, John, Go!"

Edwards compliments the crowd and then thanks his special guests. He tells us (as usual) that Elizabeth is doing well and sends her love.

"I want to start by talking about the war in Iraq," he said. "We must bring this war to an end." Pockets of people in the audience are on their feet again.

"Every one of you aught to make every presidential candidate answer some basic questions," he says and proceeds to list them -- way too quickly for me to type along. He speed talking tonight -- past the point of just being fired up. He's speaking more quickly than I've ever heard him do.

He just took a swipe at Clinton for leaving troops in Iraq before moving on to Bush and Cheney "saber rattling" about Iran. He's hitting the Iran guard vote and crediting Dodd and Biden for their opposition votes. The audience responds. "Clinton voted yes. She's entitled to her opinion. I just happen to disagree with it."

"What are we going to hear from the Senators who voted with Bush and Cheney on this? 'If I'd only known then what I know now.' Yeah, we've heard that before."

He says we are setting out to be the first generation who has not left our country better better than we got it.

"Speaking the truth," he says, "Corruption has creeped into this government." He says it has gotten worse with Bush/Cheney but it has been going on for decades.

His giving the audience a bulleted list -- bam-bam-bam -- of examples of the corruption in the government... Blackwater, no-bid contracts, etc. "We have to do something about this... there is so much at stake in this election."

We can turn our backs he says, or we can do what 20 generations of Americans have done before us -- stand up, show a little back-bone and re-claim this democracy.

A standing ovation started... slowly... and not everyone in the audience had joined in by the time it ended.

"If we aren't willing to do it, we're gonna have to look our children in the eye and tell them that we're leaving this mess for you," he said.

Corporate money is a wash in Washington, he says. He wants to know if the audience thinks a change from Corporate Republicans to Corporate Democrats is going to create change. "NO!" yelled the audience.

We are roughly 35 minutes into the event and no one is shifting in his or her seat. The audience is paying attention... riveted to what Edwards is saying and reacting positively to what is mostly a mesh of previous stump speeches.

He's hitting on his recent television ad in which he pledges to issue Congress an ultamatum -- and gets pockets of a standing ovation, applause throughout the theater.

35 million Americans went hungry last year, he said. We have 37 million who wake up worried about feeding and clothing our children. "It says something about our character and what we are willing to do about it," he said.

8:40 p.m. - There are good people running for the office of president, he said. Edwards said we cannot bring about change by bringing the oil and gas companies and the pharmaceutical companies to the bargaining table.

I'm having flashbacks to 2004 as John Edwards begins talking about "hope" again. He's retelling the story about his last case -- the girl and the swimming pool drain -- he says he gave her family hope and then went into the courtroom and gave the corporation hell. He moves from that story to the man who lived most of his life with a cleft pallet.

"When are we going to have James Lowe hope and give those drug companies hell?" he asks and the audience applauds approval.

"Americans have always risen to the challenges. We have always stood up when we saw risk to our children and grandchildren. We don't go cower in the corner when we see a challenge in front of us. But I'm here to tell you, Brothers and Sisters, if you are ready for the fight, I'm hear to lead you in that fight."

Edwards gets a standing ovation complete with numerous "whoops" from the audience.

Now we are moving into the question-and-answer period.

Thanking Edwards for being here -- thanking Edwards for his plan. Says he went to Tanzania and was struck by HIV/AIDS impact there. Want to know from you that you'll stand by commitment to spend $50 million over next 5 years to combat the HIV/AIDS crisis.

There will be several children born with AIDS in Africa today because their mother cannot afford $4 for medicine. He says that he's for education and for making the drugs available -- says it is "America's moral responsibility" and "the right thing to do."

HIV/AIDS is not just an issue for the rest of the world, he says. We've got a crisis right here among African American women. "This is the most anti-science president in American history."

Next question -- a woman. I think it is Shari Martinez. She wants to know how he plans to get rid of corporate personhood.

He says he wants to do that, but will need to think about it. He believes corporations have taken over our country.

Next question - a gentleman wearing an anti-war t-shirt. He wants to know that Edwards won't make the same mistake again as the one he made when he voted to give the President authority to start the Iraq war.

"That is a very, very hard lesson that I have to carry with me everyday," he said. "I'm going to have to live with it forever, but I will not make that mistake again."

A senior citizen woman stood up and say that Edwards has won her over. He says, "Your question is off to a good start."

She wants to know about Medicare Part D -- says it is a mess and is run by the pharmaceutical company.

"First you need a president who will take these people on and I've been doing it my whole life," Edwards says. He then hits the doughnut hole and drug company advertising.

"Buy their medicine... take their medicine... the next day you and your wife will be skipping through the fields, holding hands," he said and the audience responds with laughter.

Next question is from a younger woman who wants to know about his health care plan -- her brothers have autism.

"First of all you and your family are American heroes for taking care of a loved one with autism," he said. "First off we do away with pre-existing conditions -- meaning that no one can be excluded by them. We also call for mental health parity."

8:53 p.m. - Edwards said his staff is indicating one more question.

I've been looking around for Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. Because of the standing ovation and the press being at the back, I couldn't see where they went after introducing Edwards. But I don't see them behind him on the stage and I cannot spot Raitt's red hair down front.

Last question is about border security -- Edwards said he would use technology in a way it is not being used now, such as unmanned drones. Second thing is that we need to be much harder on employers who are knowingly breaking the law. He says he is not for amnesty, but he is for a path of citizenship. He also believes that if you want to be an American citizen, you should learn to speak English.

He's taking another question -- responsibility for rebuilding Iraq and how to do that without troops?

"I do think we have some on-going obligation as to rebuilding their infrastructure," he said. "But I think that is a monetary obligation."

He segways from Iraq into the problems in Pakistan. "The answer to this is not case by case by case. The answer is a serious, intentional effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons."

It is my responsibility to answer your questions. If you have one that didn't get answered, go to my web site and ask it. I'll answer it if you were at this event. If you don't have internet, give your question to someone at the door and I'll answer it.

Presidential candidates roll through Iowa every four year and tell you how important the caucuses are... I have a very different message because I think George Bush has destroyed the trust between the office and the American people.

Most of this country will see us in 30- or 60-second soundbytes. You get to see us. America needs you to be the guardian of what type of person will be the next president. It matters enormously whether or not you trust (the candidates).

We were so close to ending a John Edwards event without a statement about him being the son of a mill worker... it couldn't last. He has given a long list of the reasons he is running for president with that at the top.

The entire audience jumped up to applaud after the "thank you and have a good night."

Raitt and Browne are being asked to come out and do one more song for us.

They begin "I am a Patriot" by Browne:

And the river opens for the righteous
Someday
I was walking with my brother
And he wondered what's on my mind
I said what I believe in my soul
Ain't what I see with my eyes
And we can't turn our backs this time
I am a patriot
And I love my county
Because my country is all I know
I want to be with my family
The people who understand me
I've got nowhere else to go
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
Someday
And I was talking with my sister
She looked so fine
I said, "Baby, what's on your mind?"
She said, "I want to run like the lion
Released from the cages
Released from the rages
Burning in my heart tonight
And I ain't no communist
And I ain't no capitalist
And I ain't no socialist
And I ain't no imperialist
And I ain't no democrat
And I ain't no republican
I only know one party
And it is freedom
I am, I am, I am
I am a patriot
And I love my country
Because my county is all I know
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
Someday
And the river opens for the righteous
someday

And the singing duo gets another standing ovation before they exit from the stage.

9:10 p.m. - The flood gates have opened at the back of the theater with everyone trying to push their way to the exits. Even with four a time leaving the event on both sides, it looks as if it might take several minutes for everyone to make it out. Lots of smiles as people go and quite a few children and young people in the audience. Given the artists performing and the way my teenage daughter wrinkled her nose and said, "WHO?" I hadn't expected many of the younger set to be here.

That's it from Coe College. Everyone drive safe.

Iowa members of United Auto Workers stood on risers behind Barack Obama Sunday afternoon during a Marion press conference as a physical showing of the union's recommendation to international headquarters that they want a formal UAW endorsement of the Illinois senator.

On Thursday, UAW Region 4 made history when they became the first regional organization to vote for support of a presidential candidate. Although not a formal endorsement, 65 percent of UAW Region 4 delegates -- a region with members hailing from Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana -- voted to send a message to their international executive board that they support a formal endorsement of Obama. Region 4 represents 64,000 active and 122,000 retirees -- roughly 30,000 of which are Iowa residents.

Critics have said the show of support means little since it is not a true endorsement and that the results were not reflective of the entire region due to a high percentage of delegates being from Illinois, the Democratic candidate's home state. Additionally, pundits have pointed to the fact that the majority of Iowa UAW members who voted did not give the majority of their support to Obama, raising questions about whether locals will take action to support Obama for the caucuses.

UAW Local 1024 Community Action Program Chair Loren Sands said after the press conference that he hopes the Iowa membership will rally behind the Region 4 show of support, but admitted that the Iowa delegation did not provide majority support to any one presidential candidate.

"We are going to strive to get [unified support behind Obama] done in Iowa," Sands said.

During the public rally following the press conference, Obama further pushed his ability to be a champion for America's workers -- even while being a champion for the environment.

"If we increase fuel-efficiency standards on cars to 40 miles per gallon, we would save the equivalent of all the oil imported from the Persian Gulf," Obama said. "Imagine what that would do for our economy and what that would do for our environment and for our national security. And, by the way, when I made this proposal on fuel efficiency, I didn't just go to the Sierra Club. I went to Detriot in front of the automakers and I said, 'This is something we need to work on. Not only is it good for the environment, it is good for you. You've got the best workers in the world, but you're making bad decisions about the cars you are building.'"

Obama said that when he made that speech to the auto manufacturers in Detriot, it wasn't well-received.

"When I finished, no one clapped at first," he said. "And, that's okay. It is the job of the president not to tell people what they want to hear. We have to start telling people what they need to hear."

After attending the press conference and a public rally on Sunday, Sands and other local UAW members put their heads together in an adjacent hallway to brainstorm ways to shore up the Iowa support for Obama.

"We don't have a plan of action yet," Sands said. "To be honest, that's just what we were out here talking about -- what comes next. Our state [Community Action Program] chair will be getting with all of us."

The UAW's Community Action Program (CAP) is the group's social and political arm. The group forms positions on issues ranging from bankruptcy to human rights to veterans' affairs. It is composed of rank-and-file members who choose to become more active within their communities. It was this grassroots organization that mobilized on behalf of Gov. Chet Culver during the 2006 election and proved itself a force within the Iowa political spectrum.

"This vote of support and the CAP can be very helpful to Senator Obama," said Tim Henderson, who is a part of the Skill Trades Committee and a local trustee. "We all know how to get out there and work."

The Region 4 members had invited all the presidential candidates to come and speak at their convention where the vote of support was taken. All of the Democratic candidates except former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel accepted their invitation. None of the Republican candidates chose to attend and speak.

"It's not that the endorsement, if it comes, will be the final say," said Henderson. "The union doesn't tell us that we have to support this guy, but it does influence who members will support. Our members know from talking to all the candidates who is going to support our issues more."

Calls to UAW International, asking what weight, if any, the Region 4 action will have on the union's endorsement or on the other 10 organized regions, were not returned.

In an effort to convince Iowans that Obama is the guy who will stand up and fight for American workers and jobs, the campaign has released a new 30-second ad, dubbed "Need," that begins airing in the state today. In the ad, Obama describes American workers at the "bedrock" of the economy and proposes a plan to address the widening gap between the middle class and the wealthy.

The campaign for New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is announcing endorsements from two eastern Iowa lawmakers today.

Rep. Todd Taylor, House District 34, and Sen. Rob Hogg, Senate District 19, were both rumored to be leaning Clinton after each was given the opportunity to announce the presidential candidate during recent campaign stops in Cedar Rapids.

"I am convinced Hillary Clinton is ready to lead our country and restore America's standing in the world," Hogg said. "Her energy and climate plan would create thousands of new green jobs in Iowa, protector our environment and break our dependence on foreign oil."

Hogg had provided the introduction for Clinton when she rolled out her plan for the environment at the Clipper plant in Cedar Rapids.

""I took a thoughtful look at the field of presidential candidates, and Hillary Clinton is the only one who has the strength and experience to turn America around," Taylor said. "She has been a champion of education issues all her life, and I believe in her promise to reclaim the future for our children."

Taylor, who has also served as a staff member for AFSCME, introduced the candidate during her "Middle Class Express" tour.

Taylor has been a member of the legislature since 1995 and serves as the Assistant Democratic Leader. In addition to the union, he has also served as a commissioner for the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs.

Hogg has been with the state legislature since 2002 and was selected as Legislator of the Year by the Older Iowans Legislature in 2005. He has served on the board of directors for Churches United of Linn County since 2002. He is a past-chairman of the Cedar Wapsie Group of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club.

The two new nods bring Clinton's legislative scorecard to 18. She is followed by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who has 15, and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, who has 13. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has 10 in the endorsement game while Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd has three. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel have not yet been endorsed by members of the Iowa legislature.

There are currently 25 Democratic members of the Iowa House and Senate who remain uncommitted.

Last night, over 100 people converged on the campus of Coe College in Cedar Rapids to sleep in tents, cardboard boxes or other, less sturdy, make-shift shelters. The second annual sleep out event was the culmination of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and sponsored by the Linn County Veteran Affairs and Community Circle of Care, Inc. All the proceeds -- over $4,000 as of Saturday -- benefit Linn County emergency shelters and programs.

By the time I arrived on the campus of Coe College, it was already close to 9 p.m. and most of the homeless village had already been constructed. Children, pets, college students and adults milled between large cardboard box houses. Most sat as single-person dwellings, but a few creative souls had constructed cardboard apartment complexes, complete with larger common areas for residents.

My home for the night was two boxes -- one opened completely with a second split and folded around the end of the first. The second box wasn't quite as big as the first so there was a gap at top that friends had already patched with tape before I arrived.

Boxes to my right belonged to two Sen. Chris Dodd presidential campaign staffers (Amy and Jonathan) and a Sen. Joe Biden presidential campaign staffer (Jennifer). Needless to say, the staffers' boxes had already been decorated with political signs -- a move that prompted a group behind them to pull out markers and stencil "Mitt Romney" on its shelters. Welcome to Iowa where even the simulated homeless are political.

On my left Linn County Democrat and veteran Joe Stutler, who plans to caucus for Dodd, had set up a tent for himself and his dog, Jazz. Another local Democrat, Dave Langston, who plans to caucus for Sen. Barack Obama, made his home somewhere in the village -- although I never pinpointed exactly where. Also in the village there lived at least one church youth group, a troop of Boy Scouts, two or three families and various people of all ages. Unsure of the exact etiquette for "door knocking," I was hesitant to seek out others who told me they would be participating.

For me, the night is easily separated into two distinct categories: together and alone.

Together time lasted -- at least for our group -- from before I arrived until roughly 1 a.m. People joked, gathered for door prize drawings, shared snacks, played games and, of course, set up the village. The mainstays of non-homeless life -- iPods, cellular phones, pillows, sleeping bags, Game Boys, PSPs and cameras -- were evident throughout the village. Although this was all for a good cause, we were just pretending.

Being together was easy and much like any other group camping experience. Some, no doubt in an effort to just get the night over with as quickly as possible, crawled into their boxes early. Others who stayed up late and laughed with friends were subject to faceless demands for peace and quiet. In the early morning hours, a cold and sharp wind circled amid the boxes and even the most adamant of night-owls was ready crawl into his or her respective box and bed down for the night.

While my body's immediate need was for warmth, my head had a difficult time not thinking about security. I crawled into my box and sleeping bag just as I was -- hat, gloves, coat, shoes. I really wanted to take my shoes off, but the thought of needing to get up and run and the fact that the shoes, although uncomfortable, were another layer of warmth kept them on my feet.

The little things were the first I noticed. What was I supposed to do with my eyeglasses? Although I began lying down on my back, glasses still atop my face, it soon became clear that if I wanted warmth, I was going to have to curl up. The glasses were taken off and a prayer was said for their safety as I placed them in one corner of the box.

Not wanting to leave my handbag -- keeper of the camera, voice recorder and phone -- in the car, I also had to decide where it should go. I began the night with it safely tucked away beside me in the sleeping bag, but I soon discovered it was put to better use elsewhere.

Although the gap at the top of my box had been taped to keep the wind and cold out, I had neglected to give the shelter a complete inspection. On the make-shift end, at the bottom, there was another gap. It was only an inch or so high, but, for all practical purposes, the entire end of the box could have been open. The wind, which now shook the box and rained brittle leaves, whipped into my box and turned my already cold, gloved hands to ice.

I moved further down into the sleeping bag and attempted to stop the wind with the excess fabric. I then used my water bottle on another section of the gap and considered taking off my hat to use on the rest when I remembered my handbag. I pulled it out and pushed it against another piece of the gap, but there were still several holes that allowed the wind access.

You wouldn't think that lying there in the middle of downtown, surrounded by friends, that you'd feel vulnerable. Yet, I was keenly aware that I rested only a few short steps away from the sidewalk and one of the busiest roads in town. Every unusual pop and crack had my eyes springing open to search for shadows through the tape at the top of the box.

I began to imagine what it must feel like to actually be homeless -- to be doing this without hope of a warm house, breakfast or heated car seats the next morning. Two pairs of socks. Two pair of gloves. Knit hat. Tights, running pants, sweat pants. Long-sleeved t-shirt, turtleneck, sweatshirt. How carefully I had planned while still within the warmth and safety of my own home. Where would I have dressed... where would I have found these clothes... if this had been more than a game for awareness?

Before last night I was convinced that I was too old to be taught more about being thankful. But as I stared through the dark at the cardboard and silently thanked God my children were safe and warm in their beds at home, just like the Grinch in Who-ville, my heart grew three sizes.

No time for commentary at the moment, but here are some photos from the Linn County Democratic Central Committee's pancake breakfast this morning. Sen. Chris Dodd came and spoke along with surrogates for the other presidential campaigns.

The campaign for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has released a list of 46 women serving in various levels of elective office in Iowa who have made their support of the candidate public.

"Barack Obama has spent his career bringing people together to solve problems," said Nancy Parrott, Jasper County Recorder. "He is exactly what we need after two terms of George Bush - a President that can actually unite our country around a common purpose."

The list of endorsements included four Iowa State Representatives - Reps. Helen Miller, Elesha Gayman, Janet Petersen and Pam Jochum. There are currently 34 women serving in either the Iowa House (28) or Iowa Senate (6).

"We need to nominate a Democrat like Senator Obama that can not only attract votes from Democrats, but also Republicans and Independents to win the election, and build a coalition that can actually govern," said Jochum. "Senator Obama proved at the JJ dinner that he can inspire the American people and call them to action, which is why his candidacy gives me hope and I'm supporting him."

In all, women on the published list represent 26 Iowa counties.

"What women in Iowa and all across America are looking for is a candidate who leads by principle and conviction who can bring the country together to forge consensus," Obama said in a prepared statement. "They're tired of Washington gridlock and polarization that has kept us from making any progress on the challenges our country faces, and understand that we need to elect a President who will bring about change we can believe in."

Women named in the campaign press release are:

Woman	Office	County
Susan Olesen	Nodaway Valley Community School Board	Adair
Debra Henkle	Mayor of Cincinnatti	Appanoose
Dawn Flickinger	Garrison City Council	Benton
Kathy Tranel	Vinton School Board	Benton
Lila Kruse	Boone City Council	Boone
Jacinta Hart	West Branch School Board	Cedar
Susan Breitbach	Chickasaw County Treasurer	Chickasaw
Linda Orr	Clayton County Treasurer	Clayton
Brenda Buck	Lee County Treasurer	Des Moines
Karla Braig	Dubuque City Council	Dubuque
Pam Jochum	Iowa State Representative	Dubuque
Pamela Hayes	Webster City School Board	Hamilton
Deborah Leksell	Hamilton County Treasurer	Hamilton
Tracy Muth	Woden-Crystal School Board	Hancock
Kathi Berry	Salem City	Henry County
Elizabeth Momany	Amana School Board	Iowa
Candi Schmieder	Marengo City Council	Iowa
Robyn Friedman	Lamb's Grove City Council	Jasper
Nancy Parrott	Jasper County Recorder	Jasper
Amy Correia	Iowa City City Council	Johnson
Mary-Eileen Larsen	Lone Tree City Council	Johnson
Sally Robbins	Lone Tree School Board	Johnson
Sara Curtis	Algona City Council	Kossuth
Julia Logan	Keokuk School Board	Lee
Lu Barron	Linn County Supervisor	Linn
Judy Goldberg	Cedar Rapids School Board	Linn
Linda Langston	Linn County Supervisor	Linn
Gretchen Holcomb	Winterset School Board	Madison
Cherie Miner	Griswold Community School Board	Montgomery
Pamela Smith	Emmetsburg City Council	Palo Alto
Teree Caldwell-Johnson	Des Moines School Board	Polk
Angela Connolly	Polk County Supervisor	Polk
Janet Petersen	Iowa State Representative	Polk
Paula Walzer	Mayor of Sheldahl	Polk
Harriett Dickey-Chasins	Grinnell School Board	Poweshiek
Beverly Rens	Brooklyn School Board President	Poweshiek
Wanda Sims	Grinnell School Board	Poweshiek
Karen Fitzsimmons-Walton	Scott County Auditor	Scott
Mary Gallin	Scott County Supervisor	Scott
Elesha Gayman	Iowa State Representative	Scott
Molly Regan	Scott County Soil and Water District Commissioner	Scott
Dana Smith	Buffalo City Council	Scott
Jeanette Wildermuth	Blue Grass City Council	Scott
Patricia Zamora	Davenport School Board	Scott
Cynthia (Cyd) Dyer	Indianola School Board	Warren
Helen Miller	Iowa State Representative	Webster

Despite the fact that Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd had promised to do everything within his power to ensure an updated Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) did not contain retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that cooperated with the White House as a part of the domestic spying program, few civil liberties groups dared to anticipate a win. That's why so many were stunned and surprised when Dodd and others on the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a version that did not include such a provision.

The provision in question was passed by the Senate Intelligence Committee in October and was expected to continue through the judiciary committee without serious resistance. It was expected to continue because of the administration's demands, the telecommunication companies' lobbyists and Dianne Feinstein's, D-California, support. Although her vote was expected to reverse the 10 to 9 partisan advantage in the committee, she found herself under fire from Democracy for America and other left-leaning organizations.

Dodd, who deserves the bulk of both credit and thanks for this unusual turn of events as well as for bringing this issue into the public conversation, issued the following statement after the provision was taken out of the Senate bill:

"I'm heartened to see that the Senate Judiciary Committee has affirmed, as I and thousands of other people around the country have, that those telecommunications companies that participated with the Bush Administration in trampling millions of Americans' civil liberties should not receive retroactive immunity for their participation. This is a victory for the rule of law and everyone who cares about preserving our Constitution.

"Getting results begins with standing for principles that you believe in, stating your position clearly, and working toward that end.

"As the debate over retroactive immunity moves to the Senate floor, I'll take this opportunity to reiterate my pledge to filibuster any legislation that grants immunity in any form to these telecom companies."

For those readers who do not understand the immunity decision -- much less why Pres. George W. Bush wants it so badly that he's willing to veto any bill that doesn't include it, despite what that might do to national security -- please read the excellent, informative Slate article by Justin Florence and Matthew Gerke.

In closing... Thank you, Sen. Dodd!

The upcoming Dec. 4 Republican presidential debate, hosted by the state party and slated to be aired on FOX news, was canceled Wednesday due to candidate scheduling conflicts.

In a press release, Republican Party of Iowa spokeswoman Mary Tiffany wrote that the party is "disappointed that Iowans will not have the same opportunity that Republicans in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida had earlier this year with their nationally televised debates." She added that a debate in Iowa, leading up to Jan. 3, 2008, would have displayed the state's unique caucus system, and possibly garnered more viewers and attention than any other debate.

"It is too bad that a candidate wouldn't want to take advantage of this kind of debate with representation from all 99 Iowa counties in the audience, let alone the fact FOX News Channel has had the most viewers of any debate," said Chuck Laudner, RPI executive director.

Candidates who had agreed to participate in the debate were Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

According to Greg Sargent at Talking Points Memo, Laudner learned roughly two hours prior to canceling the debate that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney would not be attending. Other contenders, although confirmed, were in a holding pattern and were expected to follow Romney's lead and drop from the event.

The cancellation is yet another financial blow to the Republican Party of Iowa, which was already malnourished from an Ames Straw Poll that was boycotted by two candidates and therefore did not meet expectations. Further, many county parties were also planning local fund raising around the event.

There is another Republican debate scheduled for Dec. 12. That one, however, is sponsored by the Des Moines Register.

Two of the nation's Democratic presidential front-runners are not only hoping caucus night 2004 won't repeat itself, they are taking steps to ensure it won't. New caucus-goers -- individuals of all ages who are most apt to be intimidated by the often lengthy and highly-charged Iowa caucuses -- are going to have many opportunities to test-drive mock events and, in some cases, will be provided mentors.

"We travel all over the nation," said Kim Reynolds, who caucused in Polk County in 2004. "People right after the Iowa decision were angry. They all thought Howard Dean was going to win and were really upset with Iowa when he didn't do well here. I know that in my caucus -- and I've heard from other people the same -- the Dean supporters weren't prepared. They didn't understand how to bring more supporters to their group, to make it viable. They just got up and left after the first round."

The Obama campaign released a list of 73 people it dubbed "Caucus Pros" who will work with new caucus attendees. The Clinton campaign has produced a video that will be first shown to supporters tonight at a debate watch party in Des Moines at the Varsity Theater.

"We are now 50 days away from caucus night and we are kicking it into high gear to go into our get-out-the-caucus effort," said Mark Daley, communications director for Iowans for Hillary, on a conference call Wednesday.

Just minutes before the Clinton conference call began, Obama campaign staffers issued a press release in which their candidate was quoted as saying, "The way to build a strong, grass-roots organization that will be effective on caucus night is to have seniors and veteran caucus-goers train first-time caucus-goers about how the process works."

Staff from both campaigns have indicated that they see their strength in the upcoming Iowa caucuses not necessarily with party regulars, but with first-time attendees.

"A majority of our identified supporters would be first-time caucus-goers," said Dave Barnhart, Clinton's caucus director, on the conference call.

Daley added that although his campaign doesn't want to show its "cards" to rivals, it should come as little surprise, given the number of first-time attendees in 2004, that the Clinton campaign is finding support with people who have never attended a caucus.

"In 2004, I believe the exit polls said that 50 or 45 percent of caucus-goers were first-time attendees," he said. "I think we're seeing an awful lot of likely first-time attendees who are going to show up on Jan. 3. Our goal, of course, is to make sure they actually do and that they are there for our candidate."

First-time caucus attendees, said Obama communications director Josh Earnest in a phone call today, aren't only young people or college students.

"Much has been made of our outreach to first-time caucus-goers who are young people, but the fact is that there are Iowans of all ages who have not participated in a caucus before -- and who want to do so to support Sen. Obama this time," he said. "We want to make sure that all of them have the information they need to participate in the process."

The people named as "Caucus Pros" will be integrated into the Obama campaign's existing training process that includes mock caucuses and other small-to-medium group learning.

"We are asking these folks -- who have extensive experience with the caucus process -- to come and help lead those trainings, to participate in the caucus process and to talk about their own experiences," Earnest said. "Frankly, they talk about what a special opportunity it is to have such a significant say as to who the next president of the United States is going to be."

The Clinton video, which combines humor with basic caucus information, proclaims other activities might be hard, but "caucusing is easy." The campaign plans to use the video in group settings and one-on-one meetings with newcomers.

"I like the video and the way it uses humor to make it's message," said Kay Hale, a two-time caucus attendee in Linn County. "I think, however, it might be disingenuous to say that caucusing only takes an hour and that you'll be home in time for your favorite television programs. When you are to show up at 6:30 at night and the doors don't even close until 7... that's 30 minutes right there."

The length of a caucus can be attributed to a lot of variables, said Carrie Giddins, communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party.

"If you're in a caucus where you are awarding one delegate -- those smaller population areas -- you're not really going to have a realignment period," she said. "In those cases you are probably going to be done by 7:30 or 7:45 p.m. But, in those larger precincts, where you have a lot of people and you have to get them all signed in and determine viability and then have two 30-minute realignment periods, then do the counting... We are expecting most of our numbers to come in after 8:30 p.m."

Once numbers from the precincts throughout Iowa are turned in to the state party, however, the process isn't completely over. Business such as electing individuals to serve on county central committees, electing delegates and alternates to county conventions, and forming committees to help plan county conventions all typically takes place after the presidential preference groups are complete.

Get out the cranberries and put in some mileage before that Thanksgiving feast. It's time once again for the Return of the Turkey Trot -- Marion's 8K, 4K Family Fun Run/Walk.

The 15th Annual Return of the Turkey Trot will be held this at 9 a.m. The race starts at Marion Square Park in Marion and the course features 8K and 4K routes with division awards, medals and pumpkin pies to the top three male and female winners. The race finishes at Vernon Middle School where the awards ceremony will take place at 11 a.m.

An online registration form can be printed under the "News Section" of the Horizons' website. Early registration cost is $15 and includes a T-shirt.

A pancake breakfast will be served at Vernon Middle School gym from 7 to 11:45 a.m. Breakfast and race proceeds are directed to the Horizons Anita Daniels Program for Boys and Girls at the Robert J. Buntz Campus in Marion. Race registration includes a breakfast ticket but individual tickets can be purchased for $3.

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden has popped up another rung in race for Iowa legislative endorsements with today's announcement that Iowa Rep. Mary Gaskill of Ottumwa has thrown support behind his presidential campaign. The endorsement brings Biden's total to 13, two behind the campaign for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, which has 15.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to lead the pack with 16 endorsements. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards maintains nine endorsements while Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd has three. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel have not yet been endorsed by a member of the Iowa legislature. Twenty-seven Democratic members of the state legislature remain uncommitted.

Gaskill, a key endorsement in south-eastern Iowa, is serving her second term in the House for Iowa's 93rd District. She serves on the Environmental Protection Committee, the State Government Committee, the Transportation Committee and as chairwoman of the Local Government Committee. Prior to being elected to the Iowa House, she served 16 years at the Wapello County Auditor. As a legislator she has remained an ally to voting integrity activists, having sponsored legislation that would require random audits of voting machines and paper trails.

"I believe that Sen. Joe Biden has the breadth of experience on foreign policy and record of bipartisan leadership on domestic issues our country so desperately needs," Gaskill said in a prepared statement. "From the Biden exit plan for Iraq to his landmark Violence Against Women Act, Sen. Biden has proven he can build bipartisan consensus on the most important challenges facing our country. He is sincere, authentic and I believe he is the best candidate the democrats have -- and that is why I am supporting him."

Other state legislators who have endorsed Biden for president are Sen. Joe Seng of Davenport, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Des Moines, Speaker Pro Tempore Polly Butka of Clinton, Rep. John Whitaker of Hillsboro, Rep. Doris Kelly of Waterloo, Rep. Lisa Heddens of Ames, Rep. Jim Lykam of Davenport, Rep. Mike Reasoner of Creston, Rep. Dick Taylor of Cedar Rapids, Rep. Roger Thomas of Elkader, Rep. McKinley Bailey of Webster City and Sen. Herman C. Quirmbach of Ames.

Have you seen the television ad offering from the presidential campaign of Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo?

A few hours ago Tancredo was on CNN to discuss the ad:

Exactly how long did Republicans have control of the White House and both houses of Congress? How many of the 9-11 Commission recommendations remain unfulfilled?

Most importantly, how long are Americans going to put up with someone periodically jumping out from behind a curtain, yelling "Boo!," getting everyone in an uproar and then pulling the curtain closed until the next election season?

Consider for a moment if your dentist came into the exam room, showed you pictures of what could be your teeth in a few years if you didn't change your bad dental hygiene habits, but then refused to offer you advice for preventative care. What would you do if your auto mechanic sent you videos of twisted car wreckage with the tag line, "This could happen to you," but refused to offer to fix what could potentially be causing the problem?

This type of mindless fear-mongering ranks right up there with equating "smoking guns" to "mushroom clouds." It holds only one purpose: to use fear to elicit a wanted reaction. We have laws that prevent citizens from yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater. Perhaps it's time we enact laws to prevent the political equivalent.

Today, the campaign for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards launched its second major television ad buy in Iowa -- just 13 days following its first.

The new ad, which will run throughout the state, highlights the candidate's plan to hold Congress accountable for passing universal health care within six months of his potential presidential inauguration.

"We all want universal health care - but just having a plan is not enough," Edwards said in a prepared statement. "We've seen plans fail before in Congress, and they will again unless we have a new approach. We have to be willing to take on the drug companies, insurance companies, and their Washington lobbyists who killed reform last time. But if you're defending the system, taking money from their lobbyists and giving them a seat at the table, reform is just not going to happen."

On the first day of Edwards' administration, he said he will submit legislation that ends health care coverage for the president, all members of Congress, and all senior political appointees in the legislative and executive branches of government on July 20th, 2009 -- unless Congress has enacted universal health care reform.

Edwards added that he will require Congress to pass universal health insurance that meets four principles:

1. It must be truly universal
2. Anyone who has health care must be able to keep it and pay less for it
3. Anyone who doesn't have health care must get it, with help if they can't afford it
4. Doctors and patients, not insurance companies and HMOs, must have control of health care decisions

National Right to Life became the first national grassroots organization to issue a formal endorsement in the Republican presidential contest this morning when they put their support behind former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson.

"We are thrilled and honored," said Iowa Campaign Director Bob Haus in a phone interview this morning. "We just couldn't be happier. This reinforces that the senator's 100 percent pro-life record has been recognized by the National Right to Life. We are simply honored to have an endorsement at that level."

The endorsement is the first Thompson has garnered from a national social conservative group -- a voting bloc that was credited with President George W. Bush's presidential victories and that is being heavily courted by all the hopefuls in the Republican field.

"Our endorsement is a testament to Senator Thompson's long-standing pro-life record, his commitment to unborn children and our belief in his ability to win," said Dr. Wanda Franz, president of National Right to Life.

At the end of the day, when faced with a field of Republican candidates that all have strong -- if not perfect -- anti-abortion voting records, the final decision may come down to exactly what Franz outlined: Endorsing the person perceived to be most viable in the 2008 general election. In the press release issued by the national organization this morning the group touted Thompson's electability while taking a swipe at rival Rudy Giuliani: "Since announcing his candidacy in September, Fred Thompason has run second only to pro-abortion candidate Rudy Giuliani for the Republican nomination in the overwhelming majority of national polls. As pro-lifers throughout the nation begin to unite behind his candidacy, he will be well positioned to win the nomination and the presidency."

The endorsement comes despite an early November appearance on Meet the Press in which Thompson refused full support of a long-term Republican National Platform plank calling for a human life amendment, both his campaign and National Right to Life point to his commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that put an end to state control and declared abortion a constitutional right. Since 1976, three years after that landmark ruling, the Republican National Platform has included language supporting a human life amendment. The focus has since been expanded to support the belief that the 14th Amendment, which includes the right of equal protection under the law, extends to fetuses.

"Before Roe v. Wade, states made those decisions," Thompson said when questioned by host Tim Russert about the platform. "I think people ought to be free at state and local levels to make decisions that even Fred Thompson disagrees with. That's what freedom is all about. And I think the diversity we have among the states, the system of federalism we have where power is divided between the state and the federal government is, is, is -- serves us very, very well. I think that's true of abortion. I think Roe v. Wade hopefully one day will be overturned, and we can go back to the pre-Roe v. Wade days."

Thompson went on to say in that interview that he does not favor "criminalizing" the taking of human life through abortion. Critics of the opinions expressed by Thompson have pointed to these statements as proof that he is soft on abortion. Kim Lehman, president of Iowa Right to Life, said that when she listened to that interview, she heard a stance that falls into step with the state and national organization.

"What I heard him saying -- we always want to protect women and he didn't want to criminalize the woman," she said by phone this morning. "I don't think, even in the history of abortion laws in the states, that we criminalized the woman. It was always the abortionist. That's my understanding of his comments.

"Fred Thompson has a 100 percent pro-life voting record and that he wants to protect women would fall in line with all pro-life activity that we do. We do want to protect women. It's about the woman and the baby. Women are harmed by abortion."

Iowa Right to Life and the other 49 state affiliate organizations now have a choice to make. They can either support the national organization's endorsement of Thompson or they can remain neutral. Lehman said the decision from the Iowa group will be forthcoming in the next few weeks, but stopped short on speculating where the members might fall.

"I really think it will come down to a majority vote," she said. "I have no idea because we live in a caucus state. In a caucus state, everyone is pretty active in politics and so, typically, board members work and volunteer for their choice of pro-life candidates on an individual basis. So, I don't know where people are on their individual support of candidates.

"I think at this point -- as close as we are to the caucuses -- [the decision] is not going to be on a personal decision level. It's going to be on a practical level on being able to take the executive branch in the final election. So, it's going to be an interesting discussion."

Haus said he was aware of the discussions that would now take place within the state organization, but rejected use of the word lobby when it came to how those decision makers would be approached.

"We have close communications with a lot of the board members," he said. "I think a lot of us in the Iowa operation consider many of them friends. Apart from presidential politics, we've been in the trenches, on the issue and in the political battles for years together. Lobby might be a strong word. Reinforcement. Humble requests. Among that board there are some people who support other candidates and we are very respectful of that, but that doesn't mean that we don't think our guy is the best guy."

Gov. Chet Culver has announced the launch of a statewide internship program that seeks to connect Iowa undergraduate students with targeted industries.

The Innovation and Commercialization Internship Program, an initiative that was awarded nearly half a million dollars by the legislature last spring, will work with existing and emerging biosciences, advanced manufacturing and information technology companies statewide.

"Iowa's targeted industries are positioned for major growth and job creation in the short- and long-term," Culver said in a prepared statement. "We must do all we can to help our workforce keep pace with Iowa's growing economy. These funds will connect our companies with Iowa students and keep our economy moving forward."

Awards are available up to $3,100 for any single internship. Companies can apply for a maximum of three internships or a maximum $9,300 award per company. Students hired as interns will be paid at least twice the minimum wage.

According to current state projections, Iowa faces a "jobs surplus" of more than 150,000 highly-skilled positions within the next five years. State officials believe internship programs can help Iowa retain young people in the state by exposing them to job opportunities.

"Iowa companies are working harder than ever before to find and hire workers with the right skills," said Michael Tramontina, director of the Department of Economic Development. "A study conducted by the Knowledge Industry Partnership shows that students with internship experience were twice as likely to stay in a state than those graduates who had no internship experience. This internship program will connect Iowa students with Iowa companies, help our companies to grow and keep our talented young people here in Iowa."

The program is for students at the state's private and public colleges, community colleges and universities. Eligible companies must be based in Iowa and have fewer than 500 employees, with a significant portion employed within the state. The company must be engaged in one of the targeted industries of biosciences, advanced manufacturing or information technology. Program funds are available for summer 2008 internships.

The campaign for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has been listening as Iowans have gathered in small groups to whisper about the one thing they most worry about: electability. In response to those concerns, the campaign has released a list of 268 Iowa Republicans who will be crossing party lines to caucus with Democrats on Jan. 3, 2008.

"To Iowans, electability means that we need to win this election," said Dale Hedgecoth, one of Linn County for Obama's most out-spoken and active volunteers. "There are some of these other candidates that are carrying too much baggage. We need a cross-over vote from Republicans in this primary and we need independents to come over as well. I believe that will happen at caucus time and, if Barack Obama is the candidate, I believe it will also happen during the general election."

Hedgecoth estimates 15 percent of the people walking into and volunteering at the Linn County for Obama office are Republicans or former Republicans. Electing someone who can represent and find support on both sides of the political spectrum, he said, should go a long way to ending "the political gridlock" of recent years.

"With all the challenges our country faces, we cannot elect a president who will go to Washington and just get bogged down by the same partisan gridlock," said Brett Blix, a 30-year-old Iraq war veteran from Northwood who switched his party registration to caucus for Obama. "That's why I'm supporting Senator Obama even though I'm a Republican. He's the only candidate in either party with a record of bringing Republicans and Democrats together to solve problems, and he will always tell you where he stands even when you disagree. There are thousands of disaffected Republicans like me who are disappointed by President Bush and the Republican presidential candidates who would consider voting for a Democrat who can bring about change we can believe in."

The campaign is hoping outspoken people like Blix, combined with Obama's third-place finish in a poll of Republican caucus-goers, will convince Iowans that electability isn't an issue for Obama.

"I've always believed that you can only bring about real change when people come together across party lines, and I've seen what happens when folks put politics aside and get down to work," Obama said in a prepared statement. "If you can't bring people together across the old fault lines, you simply aren't going to be able to make progress on the challenges we face."

In recent weeks, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus and former Oklahoma Congressman Brad Carson -- all Democrats from red states -- came to Iowa to discuss how Obama appeals to Republicans and Independents in their home states.

Iowa Republicans Who Have Announced They Will Caucus for Obama

Judy	Baas	Algona
Nancy	Mueller	Algona
David	Powell	Algona
Carolyn	Woodyard	Algona
Kevin	Hubka	Alta Vista
Michael	Di Marco	Ames
Michael	Kostboth	Ames
Susan	Olson	Ames
Cherri	Penner	Anamosa
Charles	Cushman	Ankeny
Leslie	Dotzenrod	Ankeny
Deborah	Graham	Ankeny
Monica	Green	Ankeny
Marcia	Hartman	Ankeny
Michele	Nettleton	Ankeny
Scott	Richardson	Ankeny
David	Brown	Atkins
Robert	Einhaus	Atlantic
Jerry	Grandquist	Atlantic
Alyce	Lane	Atlantic
Patricia	Nelson	Atlantic
Eugene	Smith	Atlantic
Richard	Roepke	Aurora
Rachelle	Deeter	Baxter
Marjorie	Blitgen	Bellevue
Curt	Hammond	Bellevue
Kathy	Ohlert	Bellevue
Juan	Anderson	Belmond
John	Wiese	Bennett
Mary	Engel	Bettendorf
Patricia	Harmon	Bettendorf
Lynn	Urban	Bloomfield
Sara	Oliver	Bondurant
Phyllis	Muse	Boone
James	Wilson	Boone
Ann	Earley	Brooklyn
Regina	Dobroski	Burlington
Tammie	Radhakrishnan	Burlington
Carol	Blincow	Carroll
Michael	Fitzsimmons	Carroll
Martin	Greenlee	Carroll
Andrew	Green	Cedar Falls
Lynette	Keefe	Cedar Falls
Debra	Nichols	Cedar Falls
Vicki	Sink	Cedar Falls
James	Sink	Cedar Falls
Cory	Wendel	Cedar Falls
Amy	Yates	Cedar Falls
Mark	Fiala	Cedar Rapids
Wendy	Freeman	Cedar Rapids
Mitchell	Haferbecker	Cedar Rapids
Richard	Hoth	Cedar Rapids
Mary	Miller	Cedar Rapids
Randy	Oakley	Cedar Rapids
Sharon	Rosenberg	Cedar Rapids
Harry	Rosenberg	Cedar Rapids
Donald	Rundle	Cedar Rapids
Laverne	Severson	Cedar Rapids
Brianna	Steitzer	Cedar Rapids
Jennifer	Zahradnik	Cedar Rapids
Emma Jean	Severson	Cedar Rapids
Norman	Garson	Charlotte
Ann	Peck	Cherokee
Eveline	Will	Cherokee
Tonya	Clinkenbeard	Cincinnati
Virginia	Cambier	Clarion
William	Norris	Clear Lake
Cathy	Swager	Clear Lake
Michelle	Markwardt	Clinton
Rachel	Olsen	Clinton
Ronald	Robbins	Clinton
Colin	Faux	Clive
Margarita	Pina	Coon Rapids
Shanita	Eze	Coralville
Christina	Robinson	Coralville
Nicholas	Sobocinski	Coralville
Anne	Crowl	Council Bluffs
Doreen	Knuth	Council Bluffs
Martin	Leiserowitz	Council Bluffs
Jennifer	Nelson-Hansen	Council Bluffs
Susan	Rumbin	Council Bluffs
Fannie	Carson	Creston
Michael	Harris	Creston
Lori	Tull	Creston
Denise	Moore	Cromwell
Marilyn	Anderson	Davenport
Amir	Arbisser	Davenport
Andrew	Barcus	Davenport
Linda	Behan	Davenport
Julie	Jaecques-Gere	Davenport
Janet	Olt	Davenport
Michele	Stoos	Davenport
Larry	Grimstad	Decorah
Diane	Grimstad	Decorah
Shannon	Jensen	Decorah
Kirk	Johnson	Decorah
Karen	Klotzbach	Decorah
Brenda	Meyer	Decorah
Kenneth	Bass	Des Moines
Rochelle	Bell	Des Moines
Lorraine	Eldredge	Des Moines
Jessica	Gathercole	Des Moines
Mark	Hinshaw	Des Moines
Douglas	Hutchison	Des Moines
Stephanie	Wolken	Des Moines
Mattie	Kitchen	Des Moines
Roderick	Lewis	Des Moines
Angela	Riley	Des Moines
Alyson	Simmons	Des Moines
Stephanie	Smith	Des Moines
Courtney	Starbuck	Des Moines
Gail	Stutz	Des Moines
James	Sullivan	Des Moines
Brenda	Turner	Des Moines
Suzanne	Vocal	Des Moines
Mathieu	Vocal	Des Moines
Jonathan	Wolken	Des Moines
Jason	Wortock	Des Moines
April	Blasen	Dubuque
Margaret	Brewer	Dubuque
Mark	Burns	Dubuque
Madeline	Cairney	Dubuque
Jason	Cluff	Dubuque
Patrick	Hoy	Dubuque
John	Kalb	Dubuque
Mark	Klein	Dubuque
William	Smith	Dubuque
Sarah	Tayloe	Dubuque
John	Mehlert	Dysart
Garnet	Mehlert	Dysart
Jeannine	Wingert	Earling
Melissa	Grother	Eldridge
Michelle	Gifford	Elkader
Margaret	Beshey	Fort Dodge
Charlene	Thompson	Fruitland
Valesca	Gaylord	Glenwood
Barbara	Brockelsby	Glidden
Connie	Hansen	Greenfield
Eddy	Hansen	Greenfield
Douglas	Freeman	Grinnell
Ora	Gondwe	Grinnell
Lisa	Sharp	Grinnell
Gary	Weideman	Griswold
Jennifer	Meier	Guthrie Center
Steven	Smith	Guthrie Center
Janice	Hershey	Hampton
John	Leinen	Hampton
Dixie	Gambaiana	Hawarden
Timothy	Oneill	Hedrick
Rebecca	Flannery	Hinton
Beverly	Juhl	Independence
Nick	Nichols	Indianola
Amber	Short	Indianola
Ryan	Carey	Iowa City
Margaret	Ebert	Iowa City
Mark	Logan	Iowa City
Sacha	Wyckoff	Iowa City
Mindy	Loll	Iowa City
Valdeva	McCord	Iowa Falls
Jerry	Peckumn	Jefferson
Peter	Holmgren	Johnston
Dorothy	Sparland	Johnston
Jayson	Campbell	Keokuk
Emmanuel	Dass	Keokuk
Ruth	Egeland	Keokuk
Flossie	Scott	Keokuk
Larry	Fuson	La Porte City
Carolyn	Fuson	La Porte City
Linda	Phillips	Lamoni
Victory	Throndson	Lawler
Ramona	Lang	Le Mars
Michelle	Baldwin	Leon
Robert	Raine	Logan
Deanna	McDermott	Manchester
Cody	Venzke	Manly
David	Jost	Maquoketa
Arlene	Pennington	Marion
Stanley	Wierson	Marion
Carol	Wohlleben	Marion
Eldon	Wohlleben	Marion
Angie	Johnson	Marion
Jerry	Johnson	Marion
David	Perkins	Marshalltown
John	Sagar	Marshalltown
Carole	Lerch	Martelle
Peter	Children	Mason City
Susan	Kading	Menlo
Jack	Kading	Menlo
Scott	Allen	Monticello
Jo	Bader	Monticello
Max	Buckner	Mount Ayr
Joleen	Nelson Woods	Mount Vernon
Danny	Cornell	Mt Pleasant
Garth	Ganka	Mt Pleasant
Robert	Struble	Mt Pleasant
Patricia	Collins	Muscatine
Thomas	Kindler	Muscatine
Janet	Kindler	Muscatine
Margaret	Wilson	Muscatine
Richard	Wilson	Muscatine
Gerald	Dietz	Nashua
Kathleen	Boss	New Hampton
Lisa	Bernal	Newton
Debra	Simmons	Newton
Sibyl	Smith	Newton
Brett	Blix	Northwood
Ronnie	Millard	Oelwein
Kathy	Millard	Oelwein
Hazel	Orr	Orient
James	Orr	Orient
Michael	Walker	Orient
Mark	Meier	Perry
Clarence	Busch	Persia
Marilyn	Porter	Polk City
Christopher	Schnuelle	Postville
Marlys	Sowers	Postville
Deann	Frisk	Randall
Richard	Baldwin	Red Oak
Sharon	Parrish	Red Oak
Jeannie	Melhus	Reinbeck
Jolene	Rogers	Ringsted
Evelyn	Baldwin	Rock Rapids
Gary	Patton	Rock Rapids
Ronald	Smith	Sergeant Bluff
Mary	Harms	Shenandoah
Robin	Lane	Shenandoah
Maurice	Reavis	Shenandoah
Velesta	Reavis	Shenandoah
Shirley	Teachout	Shenandoah
Barry	Eldal	Sibley
Jennifer	Clark	Sidney
Heather	Slater	Sidney
Kerrie	Summers	Sioux Center
Cleo	Harder	Sioux City
Carleton	Helseth	Sioux City
Eloyce	Keating	Sioux City
Jennifer	Wyland	Sioux City
Leeann	Roberts	Solon
Benjamin	Sorden	Solon
Theresa	Sedlacek	Solon
Caleb	Stoever	Spencer
Earl	Dick	Stuart
Betty	Dick	Stuart
Erin	Heitland	Thorton
Barbara	Cary	Tipton
Connie	Bouhaik	Urbandale
Teri	Wagoner	Urbandale
Carolyn	Phippen	Vinton
Ruby	Abebe	Waterloo
Carol	Butler	Waterloo
Edward	Madlock	Waterloo
Gary	Olson	Waterloo
David	Rainey	Waterloo
Lee	Anderson	Waukon
Roxanne	Mills	Waverly
Janene	Studer	Wesley
David	Camp	West Burlington
Steven	Young	West Burlington
Albert	Ngoytz	West Des Moines
David	Basler	West Des Moines
Jan	Caruthers	West Des Moines
Sharon	Fisher	West Des Moines
Mark	Lacroix	West Des Moines
Margaret	Nelson	West Des Moines
Mark	Wellman	West Des Moines
Pauline	McAreavy	Williamsburg
James	Mease	Winterset
Jillian	Gaiser	Woodbine

The Democratic National Committee is having a little fun at Mitt Romney's expense by hosting an eBay auction and offering various flip flops, campaign buttons and a set of "Massachusetts Mitt" flash cards.

The auction is in response to the Romney campaign's latest fund drive, Mitt Market, an online auction with proceeds going into the former Massachusetts governor's political coffers. The campaign has teamed up with auctionPAL for the fundraiser.

The DNC auction, which will continue for the next three days, states: "Having apparently run out of policy positions to auction off this campaign season, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is now calling on his supporters to join him in selling off their pasts too."

While the winning bidder will be making a contribution to the DNC, the organization has promised to donate an amount equal to the winning bid to a local pet shelter "in honor of embattled Romney family dog, Seamus."

"It comes as no surprise that a presidential candidate who has so cravenly pandered to the right wing of his party by auctioning off his past would ask supporters to do the same," DNC spokesman Damien LaVera said to the Associated Press. "Unless smooth-talking Mitt Romney was planning on recycling those old tax-raising, pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-immigrant, pro-gay rights and pro-campaign finance reform positions in a general election, we thought we'd auction them off for charity."

In the same article, Romney Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Pompei said, "It just proves that the last person they want to run against is a chief executive like Governor Romney with a proven record of accomplishment who is determined to change the status quo of Washington and the free-spending, high-taxing ways of the Beltway Democrats."

Some of the items that will be won by the high bidder are a new pair of flip-flops, a replica of the snowman made famous by the YouTube debate, a foam flip-flop distributed by a rival candidate, a DVD with Romney footage and flip-flop flash cards (courtesy of the Massachusetts Democratic Party). There have been 28 bidders thus far and the current bid stands at $343.

Just a few various clips from the Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Des Moines on Saturday night.

You may have heard about a recent political dust up that claimed New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her staff ate at a Maid-Rite, but neglected to tip? The story first ran on National Public Radio and was nearly immediately responded to by the Clinton campaign, which stated that a $100 tip was left on a $157 restaurant bill.

The New York Times followed up on the story and contacted waitress Anita Esterday. Here's what this fantastic Iowa woman had to say to the national press:

"You people are really nuts," she told a reporter during a phone interview. "There's kids dying in the war, the price of oil right now -- there's better things in this world to be thinking about than who served Hillary Clinton at Maid-Rite and who got a tip and who didn't get a tip."

For the second time in as many days, I must say: Amen.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland announced his endorsement of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Friday and plans to join the campaign Saturday at the Iowa Democratic Party's Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Des Moines.

"These serious times call for a leader with Hillary Clinton's strength and experience," Strickland said in a prepared statement. "Hillary has what it takes to win Ohio and take back the White House in 2008. Her commitment to rebuilding the middle class and expanding opportunity for all Americans is exactly what this country needs."

Strickland was elected governor in 2006 in a landslide victory on the strength of his Turnaround Ohio Plan, which focuses on the unbreakable link between economic growth and educational achievement.

"I am truly honored to have Governor Strickland's support," Clinton said. "He has united Ohioans to restore integrity and accountability to state government and move Ohio forward."

Strickland began his career as a Methodist minister, psychologist and professor, before being first elected to Congress in 1992. In the House, he helped author the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a federal initiative that now provides health insurance to millions of low-income children, and fought to ensure that our troops have the life-saving armor and equipment they need.

Although the Clinton campaign has no plans for a public pre-rally, there are several other events, including a post-party, planned.

If you are heading to Des Moines this weekend for the Iowa Democratic Party's Jefferson Jackson Dinner, you may want to have a list of where the different candidates will be prior to the start of the dinner and following the formal festivities. Here's the list as it stands tonight... keeping in mind that at least three campaigns made either changes or additions to their schedules as late as today:

It's also important to note that neither Congressman Dennis Kucinich nor former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel were invited to participate in the event.

Sen. Joe Biden

Biden will provide remarks to the Iowa Farmers Union 2007 Food and Family Farm Presidential Summit at 1:30 p.m. at the Downtown Marriott, 700 Grand Ave.

A "Biden BBQ" rally -- featuring a surprise musical performance from "a renowned Iowan" -- will be held at 4 p.m. across the street from the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, 840 5th Ave.

On Sunday, Biden will attend meet and greet events in Harlan and Onawa before attending the Five-County Democratic Rally in Emmetsburg hosted by Iowa Sen. Jack Kibbie at the Wild Rose Casino and Resort at 5:45 p.m. That night at 7:30 p.m. he will meet with Mitchell County Democrats in Osage.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton

Clinton will provide remarks to the Iowa Farmers Union 2007 Food and Family Farm Presidential Summit at 4 p.m. at the Downtown Marriott, 700 Grand Ave.

Clinton National Co-Chair Terry McAuliffe will kick-off a statewide food drive at 2:30 p.m., to benefit Iowans without homes. The campaign will collect non-perishable food items at Center Street Park and Ride Bus Depot, 830 6th Ave. in Des Moines from 2:30 to 7 p.m.

McAuliffe will also headline a rally at the Science Center of Iowa, 401 West Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, following the JJ Dinner. The event will run from 11 p.m. to midnight.

On Sunday, Nov. 11, the candidate will commemorate Veterans' Day with remarks at 1:30 p.m. in Waterloo at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center, 205 W. 4th St. That evening at roughly 6:30 p.m. she will attend the Five-County hosted by Iowa Sen. Jack Kibbie in Emmetsburg at the Wild Rose Casino and Resort, 777 Main St.

Sen. Chris Dodd

Dodd will be at the Iowa Farmers Union 2007 Food and Family Farm Presidential Summit on Saturday morning at the Downtown Marriott, 700 Grand Avenue. That event begins at 10 a.m.

The campaign's pre-rally with Iowa Firefighters will be held across the street from Veterans Memorial Auditorium at West Bank City Center Parking Lot. The festivities will begin 4 p.m.

The following day the campaign will host a post-event brunch and house party in Des Moines at the home of Kathy Elsner and Steve Adelman, 4252 Foster Dr. The event begins at 11 a.m.

Sen. John Edwards

Edwards' supporters will gather at the Polk County Convention Complex, 501 Grand Avenue, Room 205 beginning at 4:30 p.m. Edwards is scheduled to speak at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner at roughly 8 p.m.

The following day, the campaign has scheduled a "major address" at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust St. in Des Moines. That event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Sen. Barack Obama

Obama will be at the Iowa Farmers Union 2007 Food and Family Farm Presidential Summit on Saturday morning at the Downtown Marriott, 700 Grand Avenue. He is scheduled to speak at 10:30 a.m.

Pre-event rally at Hy-Vee Hall, 730 3rd St. (downtown), featuring the candidate, Michelle Obama and Grammy Award winner John Legend. Doors open at 3 p.m. Event scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Buses are planned to run from nearby Iowa State University (Ames) to the pre-event rally. Those who attend the rally, but do not have a ticket to the JJ Dinner will have opportunity to watch from next door.

Michelle Obama will attend an NAACP reception in Des Moines at Embassy Suites Hotel, 101 E. Locust St., before joining Barack Obama at the JJ Dinner.

On Sunday, Sen. Obama will be interviewed by Tim Russert on Meet the Press (taping in Des Moines). NBC's WHO will air the interview live at a special time of 8 a.m.

Gov. Bill Richardson

"Richardson 500" Rally with the candidate and racing legends Bobby Unser, Sr. and Al Unser, Sr. Special guests will be First Lady Barbara Richardson and John Early. Event will be held at the Quality Inn and Suites ballroom, 929 3rd St. in Des Moines, beginning at 4 p.m.

Richardson is scheduled to speak at the JJ Dinner at roughly 8:30 p.m.

The following day, Richardson will hold presidential job interviews in Rock Rapids and Primghar prior to attending the Five-County Democratic Rally in Emmetsburg at the Wild Rose Casino and Resort at 5:15 p.m.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd has received a boost to his presidential campaign from a prominent member of the global health community. Robert Sargent (Bobby) Shriver III, co-founder and chairman of Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa (DATA), made his endorsement public this week.

"I have been truly impressed with Chris Dodd's leadership on global health issues," said Shriver. "His strong support of efforts to provide assistance to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic in developing countries shows his understanding of the importance of this issue."

Shriver is the son of Eunice Mary Kennedy, who founded the Special Olympics, and Sargent Shriver, the first director of the Peace Corps. He is also brother-in-law to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In addition to DATA, Bobby Shriver launched (Product)^RED, a brand licensed to partner companies such as American Express, Apple, Converse, Gap, and Hallmark in an effort to raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

DATA is a multinational organization founded in 2002 by Shriver and U2's Bono. Activists from the Jubilee Drop the Debt campaign were also involved. It was created to be an advocacy organization, dedicated to eradicating extreme poverty and AIDS in Africa. Currently, DATA is a major partner with the ONE Campaign.

"Chris isn't a newcomer to these issues," Shriver said. "I know I can trust Chris Dodd's commitment to global health as president because of his long record in support of efforts to address poverty and health-related issues around the world."

In his public endorsement of Dodd, Shrivers cited the Senator's commitment to service, his years in the Peace Corps and record of results.

"For the 25 years I known him, Chris Dodd has always demonstrated the same ability to lead and inspire that we've seen in our greatest presidents," Shriver said in a prepared statement. "From writing the Family and Medical Leave Act, to ensuring the United States' participation in the World Bank's Heavily-Indebted Poor Countries debt forgiveness initiative, to his tireless efforts to combat child poverty and hunger and secure funds for the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, Chris has a special talent for bringing people together on a bipartisan basis to tackle enormous challenges. That makes him the candidate we need at this difficult moment."

In 2004, Shriver was elected to the Santa Monica City Council in California with the biggest margin in 120 years. He joins his cousins, Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, Jr., in endorsing Dodd's candidacy.

"I'm deeply honored," Dodd said. "Bobby has been a true champion, creating social change and improving world health. This is someone for whom service is literally in his blood, with his family's long history of having helped create the Peace Corps, the Special Olympics and so many other efforts that have created opportunity here at home and around the world. I hope to build on that great tradition of service to create a more prosperous and just country for all Americans."

Caucus4Priorities, the grassroots campaign dedicated to shifting $60 million from Cold War weapons in the Pentagon to fund unmet social needs, endorsed former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards this morning.

The group, launched and organized by Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen, has organized 10,000 Iowa caucus-goers who pledged to caucus only for the presidential candidate who best championed sensible budget priorities. The 11-member Iowa staff will now begin gearing up for their get-out-the-vote effort, said Iowa Communications Director Heidi Wessels.

"John Edwards demonstrates not only a belief in new budget priorities for America, but also the greatest commitment to incorporate that message into his campaign," said State Director Peggy Huppert. "He will emerge from Iowa in strong contention for the nomination."

The endorsement provided Edwards another boost before heading into the Iowa Democratic Party's Jefferson Jackson Dinner this Saturday.

"Caucus for Priorities does such important work bringing awareness to the issue of waste in our military budget and the backward budget priorities in Washington that so often leave the interests of regular families behind," Edwards said in a prepared statement. "I am honored to accept this endorsement today, and determined to be a voice for all those who believe we can defend our country without continuing to neglect the needs of our citizens.

"The question is: will we continue to give multi-billion dollar contracts to Halliburton and Blackwater while ignoring the 47 million Americans who have no health care coverage, or the 37 million Americans who live in poverty? I believe we need to fundamentally change the broken system and backward priorities of Washington. As president, I'll end the war, stop the waste and abuse, and invest in our most important priorities."

Caucus4Priorities submitted questions to all declared candidates in both parties, asking if they would cut specific weapons systems from the Pentagon. Budget items included spending on nuclear weapons, missile defense and offensive space weapons. All of the Democratic candidates returned the questionnaire, outlining billions of dollars that could be saved from trimming Pentagon spending.

The endorsement caps a 10-month process in which Priorities members attended over 550 events and asked 250 questions about the budget priorities of each candidate. Earning the group's support had become the subject of an intense lobbying effort on the part of various campaigns.

"Caucus for Priorities proudly endorses John Edwards for president," said founder Cohen. "For months, our members have attended his town hall meetings across Iowa and found him to be a leader who listens - and always gives the straight answers Americans deserve from their president. As Commander-in-Chief, he'll do whatever it takes to keep us safe - but he'll also make sure Americans have health care, strong schools, and the opportunity to get ahead. He'll eliminate billions in wasteful Pentagon spending, and put our budget back in line with our values."

As part of their campaign to change the way the Pentagon does business, Caucus4Priorities believes in John Edwards' commitment to fighting entrenched special interests to achieve fundamental reforms in the defense. Edwards has publicly denounced campaign contributions from the defense industry as part of a larger critique of how lobbyists peddle influence at the expense of sound public policy.

"Edwards has demonstrated a willingness to articulate the differences among the candidates," said Huppert. "We trust he will carry that message beyond Iowa and into the general election."

In addition to today's endorsement, the Edwards campaign announced steering committees in all 99 Iowa counties.

There will be times in life when you are pushed down the slide, wrestled from the monkey bars and tripped in the hallway. There will also be times when you and your friend are having so much fun that neither one of you will see the accident coming. One moment you are running up and down a hill and the next minute -- POW! -- your friend's head smacks you smartly in the eye. It happens.

Fortunately, this particular moment in my son's kindergarten life was the latter. Neither boy ever saw it coming and, outside of the shiner, they are both not too worse off for the accident. The best part about kids is that, come Monday at recess, they'll both be running up and down the hill again.

Adults, if they would stop and take notice, could learn a lot from children and how they deal with accidents. There hasn't been a moment when my son has searched for his friend's motive. Was he jealous because I was running up the hill faster than he was? Did he notice that the girl who smells like peppermint smiled at me during lunch? Did he suggest we run up and down the hill or did I? Children, for the most part, take things at face value.

When children get hurt, they cry. No attention is paid as to who might see or hear. They don't mind that others see their tears or hear their wails. Unless they've been taught otherwise, children will never tell a hurt child to "suck it up" and keep going.

Children are naturally compelled to comfort one another after an accident. They will touch their friend's hand or arm in protective gestures and very rarely do you see a receiving child pull away.

But, most importantly, once the pain goes away, children pretty much forget they've been injured. It's typically the moms and dads who warn them not to move so quickly or bump their injury. Children are ready to face the day without fear of re-injury or fresh accidents.

Adults could learn a lot from children.

For those who aren't already aware, former Congressman Dave Nagle is blogging for the Register again. His latest post, Is Iowa Sexist? brings up topics I know the readers here find interesting. In short, why has Iowa never elected a female governor or congresswoman? In total, why is such a statistic of interest to the presidential campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton?

Let me first say that I agree with Dave on the premise of his posting. While there might be small pockets of resistance -- in Iowa and in every other state -- to the idea of a woman running for public office, it isn't fair to judge the totality of our state (or nation) based on such juvenile ignorance.

Speak to any of the Iowa women who have come out for a candidate other than Clinton and ask them, "So, how many times has someone looked at you and said, 'But you're a woman...'" Although I've yet to endorse a candidate, at least twice a week I meet someone who assumes that because I'm a politically active woman that I support Clinton. The worst remarks about my failure to endorse, I'm sad to say, have come from other women.

"I cannot believe that you are turning your back on another woman."

"We will never have a more qualified or viable candidate."

"That's funny. I was under the impression that you were a feminist."

Recently, my friend Jennifer Lunsford, who serves on the Democratic State Central Committee and as chairwoman of Jefferson County, told the Christian Science Monitor that she didn't feel she should base her support of a candidate on gender. "I'm going to vote for someone who has the same convictions," she said. Amen.

Feminists, I think, have lost track of something important during this primary. We have always advocated the rights of women to have equal opportunities to those possessed by men. Think about that for a moment. We advocate women having equal rights and equal opportunities. To me, this means that I should do exactly what Jennifer has outlined above. Without regard to gender, race or any other bodily or biological difference I should have a serious look at the candidates and what they stand for and what they believe in.

If that is not the case and has not been the case, the slam isn't on Iowa's women. The slam hits our men -- Dave Nagle, Berkley Bedell, Chet Culver, Tom Miller, Micheal Mauro, Dave Vaudt, Tom Vilsack, Terry Branstad, Jim Nussle, Jim Leach, Tom Harkin, Chuck Grassley, Tom Latham, Dave Loebsack, Bruce Braley, Leonard Boswell and, yes, even Steve King -- squarely between the eyes. If we believe that Iowa is sexist and that a woman can't be elected based solely on the fact that she's a woman, then we are telling all these other men that their hard work, integrity and campaigning was useless, that the mere fact that God gave them a penis was reason enough for them to represent us.

And, if you think that's bad, what does this same belief then say about the men who ran against the women who have served or are now serving in the Iowa Senate and Iowa House? What does it say about the men who ran against former Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge?

Dave is also correct on another point: this political strategy is a win/win for Clinton. If Iowans don't place Clinton well on caucus night, the spin room will race into action, proclaiming that Iowans are ignorant and sexist and that no woman can win here. If Clinton does come out favorably, watch for her campaign to claim victory on behalf of all womankind, that their efforts alone have soothed the savage, sexist hearts in our state and paved the way for what should soon be our first female governor or congresswoman.

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq have issued a press release marking both 2007 as the deadliest year yet for American troops in Iraq and that, for the first time, 50 percent of Americans "strongly disapprove" of President George W. Bush. With these latest figures, Bush now beats former President Nixon's record.

"For years a majority of Iowans have opposed President Bush's reckless Iraq war policy which put more of our men and women in harm's way, and now, in the fifth year of war we have more troop deaths than ever," said Sue Dinsdale, Iowa field director for Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. "Iowans, like most Americans, have demanded a responsible redeployment of our troops out of Iraq, but President Bush and Senator [Chuck] Grassley have blocked efforts to end the war every step of the way. The ramifications of the so-called 'surge' policy are clear with this grim milestone. Iowans will not look fondly on Senator Grassley, who has backed Bush's policy over his own constituents' demands for an end to the war.

"As Senator Grassley makes plans to honor our veterans and their sacrifices on Veterans Day a few days from now, Iowans are urging him and President Bush to honor our troops by bringing them home safely from Iraq."

A USA Today/Gallup Poll found that 50 percent of Americans "strongly disapprove" of the President, for the first time in the history of the Gallup Poll. Nixon had held the previous record of 48 percent strong disapproval shortly before his impeachment hearings in 1974.

"Anger over President Bush's unpopular and reckless war policy is palpable in Iowa and across the country as reflected in his record disapproval ratings. When after five years of war your war policy is killing record numbers of your bravest men and women, it is long past time to change the course," added Dinsdale. "Leaders like Senator Grassley who follow President Bush and continue to back his endless war are setting themselves up for political extinction."

Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, has appointed State Representative Tyler Olson, D-Cedar Rapids, as chair of the Health Care Services subcommittee that will examine ways to make health care more affordable for small businesses.

"After just one year in the House, Representative Olson has quickly gained the respect of his colleagues through his hard work and ability to find consensus on complex issues. I trust Representative Olson to help us find new ways to help small businesses control their high health care costs," said Murphy.

Olson was also appointed to the House Commerce Committee, which considers all legislation regarding business, financial institutions, insurance, utilities and real estate. The Health Care Services subcommittee chaired by Olson is part of the Commerce Committee.

"Businesses large and small are struggling with the competitive disadvantage of rising health care costs that often get passed on to employees," said Olson. "I look forward to building on our association health plan legislation passed in 2007 by listening to consumers, businesses and health care leaders."

Olson also serves on Economic Growth, Environmental Protection, Ethics, Human Resources, and Ways and Means. A native of Cedar Rapids, Olson is an attorney at Bradley & Riley, PC and represents the 38th House District.

The campaign for Arizona Sen. John McCain has sent a media advisory this morning, announcing that Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, a former Republican presidential hopeful, will endorse McCain during a press conference in Dubuque. In addition, the Politico is reporting that Christian leader Pat Roberson will throw his support behind former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. (The Radio Iowa blog has an mp3 of the Robertson endorsement.)

Statement from Brownback

"Today I am proud to endorse my friend and a true American hero, John McCain, for President of the United States. While I respect all of the Republicans running for president this year, John McCain is the only candidate who can rally the Reagan coalition of conservatives, Independents, and conservative Democrats needed to defeat Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat in the general election next year. John McCain has spent a lifetime standing up for human rights around the world, including a consistent 24-year pro-life record of protecting the rights of the unborn. John McCain alone has the courage, leadership and character to lead our party to victory in 2008 while keeping faith with our most cherished values -- life, faith and family."

Following the press conference in Dubuque, McCain and Brownback will travel together to Des Moines and then Sioux City, holding additional press conferences in each location. There was speculation, when Brownback dropped from the race for the White House in mid-October, that Brownback would endorse one of the other Republican candidates. Some believed he would endorse former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney while others argued he was more closely aligned with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Following his departure from the race, Brownback personally met with Giuliani to discuss abortion. At that time, Brownback said he would consider Giuliani because he heard the candidate had changed his position on late-term abortion and had pledged to appoint strict constructionists to the courts. It can only be assumed that Brownback was not pleased with the way that meeting ended.

While not a national favorite, Brownback had won favor with many notable Iowans and had earned a third-place finish in the Republican Party of Iowa's presidential fundraiser known as the Ames Straw Poll -- a contest in which McCain refused to participate. Some of Brownback's most prominent Iowa supporters came from social conservative channels -- Iowa Family Policy Center president and former state representative Chuck Hurley, Iowa Right to Life president and executive director Kim Lehman, Grace West Church pastor Bob Deever, Casey's General Store founder Don Lamberti, Dubuque County anti-abortion activist Ellen Markham, River Life Ministries pastor Francis Frangipane, Monroe First Baptist Church pastor Jack McCullough, West Des Moines Crossroads Fellowship pastor James Peterson, Council Bluffs Heartland House pastor Jim Kohl, Scott County anti-abortion activist Luana Stoltenberg, State Sen. Mark Zieman, Scott County anti-abortion activist Mary Ann Logan, Linn County anti-abortion activist Michelle Howe, Iowa Sen. Nancy Boettger, Des Moines Walnut Creek pastor Nick Bal, Des Moines Kingdom House of Prayer pastor Randy Bixby, Des Moines Calvary Apostolic Church pastor Rex Deckard, Marion Wind and Fire Ministries pastor Ric Lumbard and Ames Stonebrook Community pastor Tim Borseth.

McCain, who has not been polling high or pulling the heartstrings of Iowa social conservatives should receive at least a small boost in the state from this endorsement. Still, it's an odd move for Brownback, who has found lock-step movement with even the most extreme of the party's social conservatives a comfortable pace -- even while working on the sidelines with the likes of the late uber-liberal Paul Wellstone to enact human trafficking laws and Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Biden to craft Iraq policy. McCain rebuked social conservatives during his 2000 bid and has done little to smooth over his previous statements against the movement, including dismissing Jerry Falwell as an "agent of intolerance."

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Robertson's endorsement of Giuliani has its own dynamic. In Iowa, at least, Giuliani has continually scored lower in the polls due to his more moderate stances on abortion and same-sex marriage -- two issues on which Robertson and Giuliani have severe and clear differences. Many of the GOP faithful here can be overheard discussing why so many Christian leaders have pushed for either Romney or Giuliani. Conventional Iowa wisdom is that the party is willing to throw socially conservative values overboard if releasing such baggage means another four years in the White House.

"Iowa nice" was alive and well at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids last night. More than 900 people turned out to see and hear Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, many of them arriving 30 or 45 minutes before the event's scheduled start time. Unless trips to nearby vending machines were counted, few left the college's recreation center while the group waited for nearly an additional hour for the Democratic contender to arrive.

While this may be extreme behavior even for Iowans, more known for their political patience and prowess, this was no ordinary audience. Many wore Obama t-shirts. Some had traveled from outlying parts of the county. Young and old were not only content, but arguably elated to sit in plastic folding chairs or on metal risers while campaign staff danced around and led supporter chats. Fired up? Fired up! Ready to go? Ready to go! The majority of those in the audience were supporters before they ever entered the room... and many of the few undecideds added to the pile of supporter cards staff collected at the end of the event.

The town hall meeting was the kick-off of the campaign's "Change We Can Believe In" tour and in prepared remarks Obama combined his trademark "hopeful" politics with humor, as well as a few soft swipes at both his Democratic opponents and the current White House administration.

While discussing the rising cost of gasoline, Obama played to the crowd by using strategic pauses that rivaled any stand-up comedian: "It doesn't help that you put my cousin, Dick Cheney, in charge of energy policy. (pause) I've been trying to hide this for a long time. (pause) Everybody's got a black sheep in the family."

Obama supporter Roy Porterfield attended the event with two friends, one who recently decided to support the Illinois Senator and a second who remains undecided.

"Every time I hear him, he clarifies his position on something a little further -- I get a little more information," Porterfield said. "It helps me intelligently talk about him to other people."

Talking to people and bringing them into a chosen campaign is something that is becoming increasingly more important to Iowans who have selected a candidate and are preparing for caucus night. Porterfield's undecided friend has been leaning toward New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, but he proudly says that the friend "was very impressed" with Obama.

"So, I came tonight to not only hear him again, but to bring a potential new supporter," he said. "It was a good event."

Coggon resident and lifelong Iowan Jane Carney, whose son Christopher represents Pennsylvania's 10th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, was at the Linn County Obama for America office volunteering before coming to the event. Although she helped her son with his Congressional campaign, she said this is the first time she has volunteered on a presidential campaign.

"The first time I heard [Obama] speak was during the Democratic National Convention," Carney said. "I went to where my husband was sitting in the family room and I told him to turn on the television, that he was about to see the next president of the United States."

National pundits often indicate that Iowans, in particular, don't like it when candidates separate themselves from one another on the issues. Carney said, at least when it comes to her, the pundits are wrong.

"I liked it when he compared himself to Clinton," she said. "I like that he made that separation and that he said how he differed from her. I think it is important -- right now -- for him to start making his own stance and separating himself from the others."

Megan Ronnenberg, a 19-year-old sophomore at Kirkwood, is also volunteering on her first presidential campaign. She saw Obama in February at a rally held at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids just after he had announced his candidacy in Illinois, but didn't become active with the campaign until August.

"Everyone has things that they personally care about and mine are all the environmental issues," she said. "I've heard him speak about energy and our dependence on foreign oil before tonight. I really feel he's right when he says every president that we've had since Nixon has promised to get us off our dependence on foreign oil. No president has really followed through with that, but I believe [Obama] can."

Polly Alnutt, a resident of nearby Marion, also saw Obama for the first time during the February rally. Before she attended that event, Alnutt said that she wasn't certain she would be supporting Obama.

"I was undecided at that point. After that, however, I felt that I would support him," she said. "I've watched the debates and pretty much everything on television. I read a lot. I like [Obama's] honesty. I also like the fact that he can give hope where there hasn't been any."

When asked about her most prominent issue when deciding on a presidential candidate to support, Alcutt, like many other Iowans, is quick to point to the Iraq war.

"I think Obama will do everything he possibly can to end the war. Secondly, I think we need his hope... just hope for everything, to make everything better," she said.

Alcutt, who has seen Obama four times now, has heard most of his talking points on the stump. One thing that drew her attention during the last debate and again last night, however, was Obama's insistence that he and the newly confirmed attorney general would investigate President George Bush's signing statements for violations and possible prosecution. Signing statements are written notes issued at the time a bill is signed into law, indicating an opinion of the executive branch.

"I heard him say in that debate that he was going to investigate some of the secretive things that had been done by the previous administration," she said. "I really liked that. In fact, I asked the young guys in the [campaign] office if I was the only one who heard it during the debate. I didn't hear anyone in the press discussing it or the pundits discussing it. I really wanted to hear more about that and, tonight, he made it clear that he is going to investigate."

Obama will deliver a speech about working families and the American dream in Bettendorf on Wednesday morning. He will also make appearances at events in Muscatine, Burlington and Fort Madison on that day. On Thursday, he will hold a town hall meetings in Fairfield, Knoxville and Ottumwa and visit with Lucas County Democrats in Chariton. The tour continues on Friday when he will host a discussion in Des Moines before holding a town hall meeting in Sioux City. The five-day tour will end on Saturday at a Des Moines rally with Grammy Award winner John Legend and the Iowa Democratic Party's annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

For readers who have not heard the story behind the Fired up. Ready to go. chant, an audio clip of Obama telling the story can be accessed below:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's white paper on energy and the looming climate crisis was a long time coming, but at least one Iowa environmental activist believes it was worth the wait.

"I thought the speech was great," said Mike Carberry, a regional field director for Iowa Global Warming, after listening to Clinton's remarks on Monday. "She pretty much covered the questions that we ask the presidential candidates on all different levels of renewable energy and on global warming reduction."

Carberry, who has attended events for nearly all the presidential candidates and focuses on their energy and climate change policies, said it was important for Clinton to come out on this issue.

"I think that Hillary has been lacking in some of her policies in regard to global warming reduction until this point," he said. "But she hit a home run today because she covered all the bases. Whoever wrote this policy obviously knows what he or she is doing and talking about. If everything she talks about today gets implemented with her as president -- or if anyone as president enacts those policies -- it would go very, very far into helping us find those global warming solutions that we need."

For the first time, according to Carberry, Clinton stopped talking about energy policy as if she was a Republican.

"Hillary, up to this point in the campaign, has been talking a lot about just energy independence," he said. "Now, energy independence is something that is a very worthy goal. Energy independence really doesn't address global warming because you can find more fossil fuels domestically, you can burn more coal and you can build nuclear power plants. Up until this point, a lot of her talks have been similar to the way a Republican talks about global warming reduction. [Republicans] really don't [address it]. So, now she's really risen up and is on par with the rest of the Democratic candidates on these issues."

While Carberry believes Clinton's energy speech today at Clipper Turbine Works, Inc. will most likely prevent her from being discounted by environmentalists based on her energy policy, her Democratic opponents were quick with criticism.

"Ambitious goals are laudable, but without an honest discussion of how you achieve those goals, it's nothing more than empty rhetoric," said Hari Sevugan, communications director for Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd's campaign. "I don't know how it would do in a public poll, but leading experts agree that a corporate carbon tax targeted at polluters is needed to reverse the effects of global warming. That's why the chairman of the Clinton White House Climate Change Task Force calls Dodd's plan the gold standard in the field."

The campaign for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama typically doesn't issue statements based solely on another candidate's speeches. Today, however, was an exception and the campaign's Iowa spokesperson spoke sharply in reference to Clinton's voting record in the Senate.

"You can't bring about change on our energy policy if you change your position to suit the politics of a presidential campaign," said Josh Earnest, Obama's Iowa communications director. "When she had the chance to lead, Senator Clinton voted multiple times against legislation to increase production of renewable fuels and to increase fuel efficiency standards. To stand up for rural America and break America's dependence on foreign oil, we need a leader who won't just tell people on the campaign trail what they want to hear, but one who will tell the American people what they need to hear like Senator Obama did when he called for increased fuel efficiency standards during a speech in front of automakers in Detroit."

In a move that won't go unnoticed by Iowa's agricultural and bio-fuels community, the Obama team highlighted news articles from April 2002 that reported Clinton signing a letter that opposed a proposal to triple the amount of ethanol gasoline nationwide.

Clinton's 12-Point Plan

1. A new cap-and-trade program that auctions 100 percent of permits alongside investments to move us on the path towards energy independence;
2. A comprehensive energy efficiency agenda to reduce electricity consumption 20 percent from projected levels by 2020 by changing the way utilities do business, catalyzing a green building industry, enacting strict appliance efficiency standards, and phasing out incandescent light bulbs;
3. A $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund, paid for in part by oil companies, to fund investments in alternative energy. The SEF will finance one-third of the $150 billon, 10-year investment in a new energy future contained in this plan;
4. Doubling of federal investment in basic energy research, including funding for an ARPA-E, a new research agency modeled on the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
5. Action to transition our economy toward renewable energy sources, with renewables generating 25 percent of electricity by 2030 and with 60 billion gallons of home-grown biofuels available for cars and trucks by 2030;
6. Ten "Smart Grid City" partnerships to prove the advanced capabilities of smart grid and other advanced demand-reduction technologies, as well as new investment in plug-in hybrid vehicle technologies;
7. An increase in fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030, and $20 billion of "Green Vehicle Bonds" to help U.S. automakers retool their plants to meet the standards;
8. A plan to catalyze a green building industry by investing in green collar jobs and helping to modernize and retrofit 20 million low-income homes to make them more energy efficient;
9. A new "Connie Mae" program to make it easier for low and middle-income Americans to buy green homes and invest in green home improvements;
10. A requirement that all publicly traded companies report financial risks due to climate change in annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission;
11. Creation of a "National Energy Council" within the White House to ensure implementation of the plan across the Executive Branch; and
12. A requirement that all federal buildings designed after January 20, 2009 will be zero emissions buildings.

"For this generation of Americans, climate change is our space race," Clinton said. "It is our home-front mobilization during World War II and it is our response to the Great Depression."

Although Clinton has been test-driving pieces of her energy policy for the past few weeks, Monday marked the first time she placed it -- all 17 pages -- on the table for public inspection. She will continue to expand on the plan during policy addresses in Newton today and in New Hampshire on Wednesday and Thursday.

Speaking to about 100 people at a fundraiser for Cedar County Democrats on Saturday Night in Tipton, Rep. Nate Reichert said a new energy economy is "the greatest opportunity Iowans have had in at least two or three generations."

The Muscatine resident, who has represented District 80 in the Iowa House since 2004, was tapped to be the chairman of the Standing Committee on Energy Policy. He wrote the first draft of the Iowa Power Fund, a four-year, $100 million effort intended to spark development of renewable energy technologies. The fund was one of Gov. Chet Culver's top legislative priorities, although it wasn't passed through the Legislature until late in the last session.

"We had Gov. Culver talking about how we could grow our renewable fuels industry and we can grow our renewable economy," Reichert said. "We talked a lot about that, but one of the big pieces that I felt was very important with this was that we need to have a plan to make our energy independent by the year 2025 in Iowa."

While the goal is lofty and the plan is not yet written, Reichert says it is in process.

"The plan must include things that we as individual citizens can do," he said. "How can we make an impact on this equation? How can we make our carbon footprint a little smaller? How can we figure out a way to include more renewable fuels in our day-to-day lives?"

The cheapest source of energy, according to Reichert, is energy that is not used. "It's conservation," he said. "It's about changing light bulbs and making things more efficient."

Reichert said he's happy to be a part of those conservation efforts through his work as chairman of the Energy Efficiency Interim Committee, which is studying ways to make the Iowa economy more efficient.

"The [new energy economy] could be the driving force for our economic growth for decades to come," he said.

He pointed to new businesses in Iowa such as the plant in Keokuk that provides manufacturing for wind turbines as part of the way new energy will drive the Iowa economy.

"I think we are going to be seeing more of those types of announcements as we get the Power Fund up and going and we start bringing the new energy economy jobs into Iowa," he said. "So, not only can we be energy independent by 2025, but we can be the world's leader in making that happen. We will not only be using that type of energy, but we will be creating and designing it."

When Iowa begins to bring in those "good jobs," Reichert said the state will then be able to keep younger people here because they will be able to "build a life and a family around it."

Reichert continues to serve as an ex-officio member of the Iowa Power Fund Board of Directors. Other legislative ex-officio members are Sen. Roger Stewart, D-Preston; Sen. Hubert Houser, R-Carson; and Rep. Chuck Soderburg, R-LeMars. Gregory Geoffroy, Kent Henning and Mary Jo Dolan will also serve as ex-officio members, representing Iowa's institutions of higher learning.

Voting board members are Chairman Fred S. Hubbell of Des Moines, Lucy Norton of Clive, Glenn Cannon of Waverly, Peter Hemken of Des Moines, Carrie LaSeur of Mt. Vernon, Patricia Higby of Cedar Falls and Thomas Wind, of Fairfield. Iowa Department of Economic Development director Mike Tramontina, Department of Natural Resources Director Rich Leopold and Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey also have a voting seat at the table.

When the legislation and subsequent appropriations were passed last spring, a new Office of Energy Independence was created. Roya Stanley, who had been active for more than two decades in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency, was hired as Iowa's director of that office in late summer.

Three Iowa courts will open their doors on Saturday, Nov. 17, solely for the purpose of finalizing adoptions. Dozens of families will have either their international, private or state adoptions from foster care finalized on that date as a part of an event designed to celebrate and promote adoption.

This is the seventh year Iowa courts have taken part in the national observance. It's a day when courts, judges, attorneys, adoption professionals, child welfare agencies and advocates volunteer their time so that families and children can finalize adoptions.

The Polk County Courthouse in Des Moines will host an event from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Adoption professionals will be available to talk about adoption and foster parenting. A formal program is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

In Council Bluffs, the Pottawattamie County Courthouse will have observances from 9 a.m. to noon.

District Associate Court Judge Kim Riley and Associate Juvenile Judge James McGlynn will preside at the adoption of more than 30 children in Webster City at the Hamilton County Courthouse. The event there begins at 8:45 a.m.

In November 2001, Des Moines joined 15 other cities to celebrate families, finalize adoptions and draw attention to the increasing need for qualified foster and adoptive families. More than 500 people attended the initial event -- and at least that many are expected for the 2007 celebration, according to event organizers.

The original Adoption Saturday was the brainchild of Los Angeles Judge Michael Nash and collaborators in 1998. It was organized in a response to a lack of docket time in which to finalize adoptions. While adoptions are not routinely delayed because of lack of time in Iowa, the Polk County Model Court decided to sponsor the event for many reasons.

"We wanted to be able to provide a family-friendly atmosphere for these special meetings," said Judge Connie Cohen, who served as Model Court Lead Judge when the program was initially launched in the state. "It was also an opportunity for many relatives and other guests of the families to attend the proceedings without having to take time off from work or school. And, we hoped to draw attention to the growing need for families willing to open their homes and hearts to Iowa's neediest children as well as to provide information to the public."

The number of placements in Iowa through the Department of Human Services has grown in the past seven years. In the year 2000, 822 children were placed. In 2007, that number has increased to just over 1,000.

The Department of Human Services measures adoption performance on timeliness, not overall numbers of placements. Timeliness is measured from the day of removal to the day of adoption. Most removed children are reunited, but when Iowa courts terminate parental rights, states must quickly find a permanent home. The national standard is adoption of 27 percent of these children within two years of removal. Iowa's performance rate is 47 percent, twice the national average.

In about 10 or 15 minutes, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will begin a speech on energy policy at the Clipper Wind Turbine plant in Cedar Rapids. Well over 150 people are here, not counting the 50 or more members of the press.

It's a good day to discuss wind power in Iowa as a cold, northern wind is gusting.

Looking around the room, there are some notables here. I just saw Linn County Supervisor Jim Houser walking through the crowd. Rep. Swati Dandekar, who has endorsed Clinton, is here too. Cedar Rapids City Councilman Justin Shields and Alan Bernard, both affiliated with Hawkeye Labor are in the front row.

The stage backdrop is done in John Deere green and Hawkeye yellow-gold. It reads:

"Powering America's Future
New Energy - New Jobs

In addition to the main backdrop, there are several signs to the left of the audience, all in the same color scheme and with the same phrase. One of them has been mounted in a wind turbine head.

The venue has become much more quiet as some machinery has been shut down. Several of the plan workers are sitting and standing on equipment, waiting on the show to begin. It's 10:38 a.m. -- so we're roughly 5 minutes late with the start, but there are still spectators coming in the door.

10:50 a.m. - Iowa Sen. Rob Hogg has walked in with Clinton. The audience is giving both a standing ovation.

Hogg is providing the introduction, stating that he and his family have been impressed with how Clinton has taken charge for American families. While this may not be an endorsement, it rather sounds like one and the audience is responding.

Hogg has finished and there was no official endorsement in his introduction, but he had nothing but nice things to say about Clinton. She's now at the lecturn and making the necessary introductions of notables in the audience. Rep. Todd Taylor is here as is Christie Vilsack.

Clinton says it's good that we are here at Clipper for this speech because the things that are happening here are the future of America.

At the top of the world, she says you hear the stories of global warming and can see the evidence with your own eyes. There are no skeptics to global warming in the Arctic Circle, she says.

"The last two decades of the 20th century were the warmest in 100 years," she said.

"Our dependence on foreign oil threatens our security. Nationwide, diesel recently hit an all-time high. Two-third of Americans now say that rising gas prices are a hardship for their families. Meanwhile, we are more dependent on foreign oil today than we were on 9-11."

"A carbon economy compromises our health. Nearly a third of our childhood asthma cases are caused by pollution and environmental contaminants.

She's now hitting the Bush administration and their lack of response to global warming. She says he's pushed science out of Washington. She's hitting the gag order on the Fish and Wildlife Services employees for discussing the plight of the polar bears.

Clinton believes that America is a nation of problem-solvers. She is listing off historical evidence for her theory -- the great depression, landing on the moon, etc. -- "for this generation of Americans, climate change is our space race... it is our response to the great depression."

She's very proud she says, that Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for sounding the alarm.

A group of general issued a recent report that exposed in detail, she says, the implications global warming has on national security. "The price of inaction is far higher than the price of action," she said. "I believe America is ready to take action."

"There is something for everyone to do and success will require each of us to do our part," she said. "So, if you're ready for change, I'm ready to lead."

This is her biggest applause line so far with members of the audience reacting positively to her campaign motto.

She's reading down the white-sheet now -- information I'll post in detail later -- that outlines her energy plan.

"The Department of Energy estimates we can reduce energy use in residential buildings by 20 percent by 2020," she said. "I think we can do better than that.

"For the past three decades California has held its electricity use per person flat," she said. "During that same period, energy use in the rest of the nation skyrocketed by 50 percent."

Since California has prospered, Clinton says this is proof that a new economy based on renewable fuels and lowered greenhouse gases can flourish.

She says her goal will be the 20 percent -- despite the fact she said we can do better. She wants incentives for saving power instead of producing more.

"Fourteen states already have some sort of efficiency goals for power companies," she said.

"It's time to start building a 21st century grid," she said. "What if we harnessed all the advances in information technology."

She wants to know why we can't or haven't combined technology to conserve energy. Why can't we time our dishwashers and other appliances to come on during off-peak hours? Making appliances more efficient would save consumers $54 billion between now and 2020, she says.

"We will phase out the incadescent lightbulb," she said, "and joked that Thomas Edison would approve of the change.

This move will cut national electric bill over $8 million dollars over 8 years, she says. Buildings account for 40 percent of America's carbon emissions.

"This is happening in Iowa right now," she said. She highlighted the Great River Medical Center in West Burlington and received applause from the audience for that as well.

She said she wants the federal government to not only set the rules, but set the example. All federal buildings built after noon on inaugration day will have to be carbon-neutral.

11:20 a.m. -- The Model T got better gas mileage than today's typical SUV, she says.

"I believe America should do what we do best," she said. "We should lead the innovation race. As president I will raise the fuel efficiency standards to 40 MPG by 2020 and 55 by 2030. But I'm not going to ask the car manufactures to do it alone. I will be a good partner."

She says she will work with auto makers to cover the added costs they will incur. She also wants to see plug-in hybrids -- "cars offer promise of 100 mpg."

"The good news is that Detroit is already embracing this new technology," she said. "But the plug-in revolution cannot happen fast enough."

She says we've got to increase access to public transportation. "I want to increase funding for public transit by more than $1.5 million dollars each year."

Huge applause when she says she intends to end the tax breaks that oil companies now receive. "We're going to give these companies that have made the highest profits in the history of the world," she said. "We cannot make the middle class pay twice."

11:30 a.m. -- "We need to look no further than Clipper Wind Power," she said. "In a few short years, Clipper has set an example of how creating clean energy can create good jobs."

Just one of the turbines that will be fueled by these great generators can power 800 homes without producing any pollution at all, she said. As president I will be a good partner for Clipper and for other companies that not only create good jobs -- but in my opinion being a good patriot.

Being a good patriot means ending our dependence on foreign oil, she said, and received a standing ovation from the audience.

We will excelerate production of advance coal technologies, she said. I will provide funding immediately for 10 large-scale projects. In the meantime, we need to stop building coal plants the way we have been.

"I want to bring together the best minds to think together, outside the box," she said. "American can lead the world's green revolution. We are the best in the world -- let's start acting like we are the best again."

You've heard of blue collar jobs, you've heard of white collars jobs -- "this will create 5 million green collar jobs."

"We can't do this alone," she said. "We can't act like the world doesn't need our leadership like we have for the past six and a half years. We have to prove that moving away from a carbon economy is good for growth."

Again she hits on the Bush administration and its refusal to lead on energy policy. She says she will put together an E8, built on the G8 that will bring leaders together to discuss energy and the environment.

"Every single American will have a role to play," she said. "On Wednesday I will outline in greater detail how individuals can play a role. If every home replaced just one 60-watt lightbulb with one compact flourescent it would save enough energy to power 3 million homes in a year. There's something everyone of us can do."

"I'm going to challenge communities, schools, cities and individuals to do the same," she said.

11:40 a.m. -- "I will reform the Department of Energy," she said. "I will focus their mission to move us toward energy independence. This is a transformational challenge to our nation and government... I will start meeting it on day one."

She is hitting on FDR's fire-side chat where he called Americans to the table about WWII.

"Americans were up to that task," she said. "The task before us demands the same urgency and requires the same resolve. Just as the Greatest Generation rose to the occassion, I believe the Greenest Generation will do the same."

No audience questions so... That's it for now. I'll gather some audience reactions and have a more formal write up for later.

While speaking to Cedar County Democrats Saturday night, Congressman Dave Loebsack said that he's made progress on campaign promises and that he's proud of the accomplishments made by Congress thus far in Washington.

"I personally ran on one theme," he said. "That was restoring hope and opportunity that George Bush and the Congress of the United States had taken away from millions of Americans and tens of thousands of people in the 2nd District. We haven't gotten as far as we want to yet, but we've done a heck of a lot of good things."

Increasing the minimum wage, making education more affordable, restricting lobbying, creating additional ethics reform and implementing the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission are successes Loebsack highlighted during his speech in front of an audience of roughly 100 people in Tipton.

The former Cornell College professor earned audible audience approval when he acknowledged that much more could be accomplished with a Democrat in the White House.

"I spoke a lot about health care when I ran for this office -- and you spoke with me about health care," he said. "It's one of the most important things across this district and across this country. We're trying to begin in Congress by not only protecting the 37,000 Iowa children who were on the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or HAWK-I as it is known here in Iowa, but by providing it to 26,000 more. We want to cover 10 million American children in the United States. President Bush wants to cut 840,000. We want to override his veto."

Loebsack said that although he is unsure if there are enough votes in the House to override the president's veto, he is certain that the program will be maintained -- and that the Democrats will push for expansion.

"When we bring this up again in January 2009 and we have a Democratic president, we are going to fulfill the promise to make sure at least 10 million American children are covered by this program," he said. "With your help, we are going to do that."

With only so much money available in the budget, he said, it is doubtful many domestic issues will be addressed by Congress "until we begin to disengage from Iraq."

Loebsack, who recently returned from a fact-finding trip to the Middle East, described the trip and his disappointment with the way it was covered by at least one member of the media.

"When I got back from Iraq, I landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 4:20 in the afternoon and I was in my office at about 5 o'clock," he said. "At 5:20 I was on the phone, talking to about seven different reporters. One of the first ones I talked to was Jane Norman of the Des Moines Register. If you look at what she wrote, it's interesting because -- Obviously, I'm learning how to do this, right? I should know that sometimes a reporter isn't going to report the whole story."

Loebsack said he took issue with the coverage in the Register because he didn't feel it was accurate.

"What got reported in that story was that 'Loebsack thinks that everything is hunky-dory in Iraq' and that we're making great progress and all the rest," he said. "The fact of the matter is that certain parts of Iraq have had some limited military success. Just because there's some limited military progress doesn't mean that we need to stay in Iraq for the next 30 or 40 years. That is what President Bush wants us to do. I still am committed to beginning a disengagement tomorrow from Iraq and having our troops out over the course of the next 12 months."

Response from Jane Norman, the Des Moines Register:

"Iowa Independent reported that Rep. Dave Loebsack said that "he took issue with the coverage in the Register because he didn't feel it was accurate." Rep. Loebsack since this meeting has acknowledged that he was quoted accurately in the Oct. 23 Des Moines Register article to which he was referring. The article reported that he said conditions in Anbar province have improved since his last trip there earlier this year, but the question is how much and how much political progress has been made as well."

He said that he went to Iraq for a wide variety of reasons, but primarily he went there to speak to the troops. He spoke with members of the 833rd Engineer Company out of Ottumwa, who are back in Iraq on their second tour.

"They were here in our country for only 14 months before they were sent back," he said. "This is an engineering unit that goes out and dismantles [improvised explosive devices]. It is not an easy job as you can imagine. Just before I got there a group of four of them had been involved in an IED incident."

Although Loebsack could not provide all the details of the incident, one soldier was injured, and while the congressman was told the soldier would recover from his immediate injuries, he said there is no guarantee that "he hasn't suffered traumatic brain injury."

"We just won't know that for some time," Loebsack said. "He was inside this vehicle -- it's called a MRAP -- and his life was saved because this vehicle is a wonderful vehicle. It's a great vehicle for protecting soldiers, but if you get blown up and your vehicle gets thrown into the sky and you come down, you may not have the outward appearance of injuries. There is a good chance that [the trauma] can cause a lot of other injuries, like brain injury. And, as you know, that can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder as well as a lot of other things."

Loebsack, as leader of the delegation, was able to make decisions as to where the group would visit. One of the places he chose was a base in nearby Kuwait, he said, because the particular camp was a logistics hub.

"I asked the commander there if tomorrow President Bush decided that the mission was not to continue to send troops to Iraq, but the mission, in fact, was to reverse that and bring the troops and equipment home could Camp Arifjan handle the job? And he said it would be no problem," Loebsack said. "So, we know we can do it. We know that if we change the mission, we can get the troops and the equipment out."

Although Loebsack says he now knows that we can get the troops and equipment out from the United States' several dozen bases in Iraq, he remains unsure as to exactly how long it would take.

"It's going to take a long time," he said. "I don't know if we could do it in 12 months. That's my goal. The bottom line is that the decision has to be made now -- it can't wait."

Melissa Etheridge - Message to Myself: