Obama's victory in Iowa shows that he is the most electable of the 3 candidates. He has shown that he can bring in the independent voters (including independent Republicans) who are needed to win the election. Neither Hillary nor Edwards have shown that they can do this.

Hillary is the least electable of the 3. While a majority of mainstream Democrats like her, apart from that she is a very difficult sell. And there are not enough mainstream Democratic voters to win the election. Hillary is a polarizing figure. Not only do the people on the right hate her, but the people on the left hate her too. Most people outside of the Democratic mainstream find he offputting. Whether we like it or not, likability is an important factor in deciding elections. And Hillary is just not very likable.

URGENT REPOST:

When are the pundits going to start confronting the issue of how the primaries being front-loaded favors the previously well-known contender -- the one who was considered the presumptive nominee when the process started -- over ANY possible challenger or upstart, even one that might be at least somewhat well-known before the campaign began?

The way I see it, Obama could very well demonstrate his superior strength AS A CANDIDATE, with voters who are familiar with the candidates and have heard a lot (both + and -) about them -- winning not only Iowa but New Hampshire & S Carolina as well. This is not a far-fetched prediction, & indeed, Obama may be at least an even bet to do just that. (Of course, the results in MI, FL, and NV are another matter).

But then comes Tsunami Tuesday ("TT" I call it for short). Here, the inertia of the campaign is given full swing, & even the momentum built up by Obama with three major victories in the heavily campaigned-in states would leave him at a disadvantage in what amounts to essentially a national primary.

Curiously, the circumstances in MI and FL, the two LARGEST states to vote before TT, is such as specifically to PRECLUDE major campaigning on the part of any candidate that doesn't want to outrage the Democratic Party establishment; hence they are more like the TT states than the 'big three' of January. ALL OF THESE FACTORS SEEM TO FAVOR THE CANDIDACY OF HRC, ALMOST INSURMOUNTABLY, AND ALL ARE PREDICTABLE RESULTS OF THE WAY THAT THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY SET UP THE ELECTIONS.

It's time for the grass-roots & net-roots Democrats to start SERIOUSLY grappling with this issue. If this setup insures an HRC nomination, as it seems clearly to have been intended to do, & THEN SHE LOSES, I think that progressives will REALLY have to think seriously about completely overhauling the Democratic Party. And no more dancing to the tune of the DLC & their 'why doesn't the Democratic Party dump its pro-choice platform?'(Al From) after the 2004 elections.

Hillary is looking more and more like Georgie Lite, and not so lite at that. I won't vote for her unless there is no--and I mean no--alternative. She has said she will look into what Georgie has done and see if changes need to be made. Not good enough.

Obama's victory speech was phenomenal, or 'Obamomenal'!!!
He could order a ham and cheese sandwich and get a standing ovation.

It's great to see that America is heading for change! As someone from another corner of the globe I would like to see senators Barrack Obama and John Edwards win the presidency in 2008. America ought to repair it's macho image abroad. It should put a humane touch on it's global operations.

Their biggest challenge is going to be global economy and foreign affairs. America must dissociate itself from undemocratic fascist military regimes in South Asia. It should also distance itself from failed institutes like the World Bank and IMF which are responsible for most of the ails plaguing the developing countries.

I think the world demands US leadership that means business through amicable international diplomacy and constructive engagement.

The good ship Hillary Clinton is sinking fast a victory for Obama in NH marks the beginning of a new world.

At this point the Genie has been let out and there is no turning back now, nothing or no one is going to stop his incredible momentum Obama will be our candidate and I will be proud to be an American again.

If he was this pumped throughtout the summer when people were saying they were disappointed in his energy/passion, these last few speeches wouldn't have been as effective. I think it was a strategic decision to hold something back for the third and fourth quarters. They knew these first two primaries were critical to winning...And, as he predicted, if NH voters provide a win,HRC is history. Barring some miracle, Mr Ed has gone the way of my xmas ornaments after New Years...

here's a link to the video courtesy of the c-span

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=203272-1&tID=5

I believe we are witnessing a changing of the guard. Go Obama!

The democrats are idiots if they can't see that Obama is their best new hope. He is responsible for the greatest number of new turnout in Iowa and he can do the same thing all across this country. If Hillary is the nominee the party is going to regret it.

In her speech, Hillary made a sly comment about people needing a candidate who offered more than "mere hope." Obama countered in his speech saying that people accuse him of being too focused on hope, of being idealistic and yes, even being a "hope monger" as if hope were a weak and passive stance. He said that hope is what drives action and leads people to take on challenges that might seem impossible and then he used that as his rallying cry. He made it into a point of strength. It was quite moving.

Very interesting event. Either Obama had the kids out in force, or the established Democratic party in New Hampshire has already decided to go over to Obama and leave the old guard behind.

The event was interesting because Hillaryites had been given all of the up front seats. When Obama was set to come on, all of his supporters came forward and were standing and the organizers tried to hold his speech up while they made people return to the seats. Needless to say it didn't work and Obama gave yet another inspirational speech.

The only problem with his speeches is that you get sorta numb hearing one great speech after another. But while they all have some common elements he also seems to always blend something new or different into the speech.

If this crowd is indicative of where the Democratic party in New Hampshire is, Hillary and Edwards are toast and Obama might just run the table.