The Iowa voter's opinion is like a chameleon.  Usually you have no idea where the hell they're at, but you get the general sense that they're in the same room as you because you can occasionally hear its noises and see its movements.  I have a lot of respect for the Iowa voter.  They are diligent and earnest in their picks.  Of course there are the undecideds and the few of the masses who are asses, but for the most part, Iowans that follow politics give their heart to making the right decision.

My hope is that Obama wins Iowa with Edwards and Clinton finishing 2nd and 3rd, respectively.  I just have to think that Democrats don't just want any Democrat to come into office in 2009, they want a candidate who will give vision and direction back to the country.  I think that Iowans will realize that Hillary resembles the same old politics as usual and that Obama appears more as an innovator for the party.  I think they'll end up being turned off by Edwards' excessively liberal and anti-corporatist approach (which is even estranging me a little) and they will find that Obama is the middle between Edwards and Clinton.  I assume that Democrats are not as hung up on the whole UNIVERSAL healthcare issue as Krugman seems to be, but would rather see the safety net be both existent and effective when it is needed.  It will not be a smooth ride if we go from our current healthcare system to a mandated universal healthcare system.  Obama's approach is more gradual and it still gets the job done.  Mandating health insurance is not like mandating car insurance.  Car insurance covers liability – the safety of others well-being in the case of an accident.  There is no equivalent for health insurance.  Health insurance just protects self, not other.  If it protected other, then I would be open to a mandate.  But, if we are just talking about protecting self, then it should be made available by government for a competitive cost, but it does not need to be mandated.  Maybe eventually it should be mandated, but I think the shock and costs would be too high to not take a gradual approach.