President Barack Obama's reelection campaign sought to spin the results of the Iowa caucuses Wednesday, arguing in a conference call with reporters that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's razor-thin margin of victory spelled trouble for the candidate. "He is still the 25 percent man," Obama's longtime communications strategist David Axelrod proclaimed, referencing the eight votes that separated Romney from former Sen. Rick Santorum, who came in second Tuesday night. "Until he proves that he is not, I don't think we can close the books on this nominating process." As for expectations for Romney in the next nominating contest -- the New Hampshire primary -- Axelrod couldn't have set them higher. "It's a home game for him," he said. "If you don't win your home games with some margin, that just further exacerbates your problem."

Rep. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., “doesn’t see a way forward in her campaign for the GOP nomination for president and will make an announcement to that effect this morning,” a senior Republican official with direct knowledge of the lawmaker’s plans said on Wednesday. The source stopped short of saying Bachmann is getting out.

Larry Goettler, a tall, broad-shouldered man who owns the Brickhouse Restaurant on North Main Street, was a classmate and friend of Santorum's through Butler's Catholic elementary school and public high school. "This is a middle- to lower-class town," says Goettler. "If anything, Rick was probably economically a little below the middle. They were good people, a well-principled, blue-collar family." Santorum was a smart, outgoing kid who cut across social cliques, says Goettler. "Rick wouldn't be the guy dating the senior queen. But he was probably friends with her." The social scene revolved around high school sporting events, says Goettler. "Plus, we'd drive around in groups of cars and hang out. But Rick was never one to be out late drinking or anything." "I was on the basketball team with him. He was a second-teamer. Not much athletic ability but as much heart and desire as anyone on the team. He was not afraid to take it on the chin. Rick could take an elbow under the boards with the best of them. But he always got back up and kept playing."

Dear Patriot: It's Now or Never for Conservative voters. We can either unite now behind one candidate and have a conservative standard bearer in 2012, or have the GOP establishment choose another moderate Republican who will have a difficult time defeating Barack Obama in November. I don't think that's what you want. Neither do I. My name is Rick Santorum, and I am the only authentic, passionate conservative who can unite the GOP. I need an URGENT contribution of at least $35 today to unite conservative voters and win the Republican nomination. We shocked the world last night in Iowa. We did it with a coalition of conservatives, Tea Party members, and values voters who recognized that my successful conservative record gives the GOP the best chance to defeat Barack Obama. No more sitting on the sidelines. Now is the time to act or get stuck with a bland, boring, career politician who will lose to Barack Obama. Tomorrow will be too late. Will you unite with me, merge conservative support, and help us hold our banner high? Your contribution of $35, $50, or even $75 can make sure this happens. The next test is New Hampshire … a state Mitt Romney has campaigned in for over four years. This is why I need your immediate support. I’m counting on conservatives around America to respond to this call for help. If we are divided in New Hampshire, we will lose this opportunity to keep the momentum. I will be the most conservative President since Ronald Reagan. I am not going to Washington to blend in and hope people like me. I am running to dismantle the Obama Agenda and lead--like Reagan did. The Washington Post said, “Rick Santorum was a tea-party kind of guy before the tea-party even existed.” As a conservative U.S. Senator from the swing state of Pennsylvania, I led the overhaul of welfare that moved millions from welfare to work. I authored the bill banning partial-birth abortion, and I passed legislation that protected America from Iran’s growing nuclear threat. If you want a President who will stand up for conservative values, who is consistent on the issues, and who has a record to back it up, then I need you to join my campaign. I need you to join me today. Right now. Not tomorrow or next week. If you want to roll back the Obama Agenda with a real conservative, this is your chance. The future of our country depends on what conservatives like you do in the next 72 hours. Will you join us today with a generous contribution of whatever you can afford? I give Republicans the best option to put a full-spectrum conservative in the White House. Help me make history! Sincerely, Rick Santorum P.S. I went from longshot to the Iowa Caucus “surprise candidate” overnight. Now conservatives must unite or be defeated. Please donate today and take a stand with my campaign. Join the fight!

As for Iowa, the entrance poll, which surveyed 1,737 Iowans on their way into the caucuses, made clear that Paul’s strong showing was overwhelmingly a function of attracting voters beyond the Republican core. In the survey, independents increased their share of the caucus vote from 13 percent in 2008 to 23 percent this time; Paul won over two-fifths of them. Young voters aged 17-29 were 11 percent of the vote last time and increased to 15 percent this time; Paul won almost half of them. And the share of caucus-goers who identify as moderate or liberal spiked to 17 percent from 12 percent last time; Paul won 39 percent of them. In all nearly two-in-five of those voting Tuesday night said they had not previously attended a caucus: Paul captured 34 percent of them, far more than Santorum (22 percent) or Romney (17 percent). All of this could make Paul a wild card in states that allow independents to participate in Republican primaries – including New Hampshire, the next test.

Turnout at Tuesday’s Republican caucuses approached the record set four years ago. More than 117,000 Iowans were expected to have filled schools, churches and community centers Tuesday night to cast votes in the closest election in caucus history.

In an appearance on Fox News Tuesday night, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin suggested that Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) campaign for the Republican presidential nomination may be coming to an end after a disappointing showing in the Iowa caucus.

Political watchers say Mitt Romney did what he had to do in the Iowa Caucus and has a clear path to the Republican nomination for president. While former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum virtually tied Romney Tuesday, he lacks the general appeal to truly contest former Massachusetts governor, experts say. Meanwhile, for third place finisher Ron Paul, the results were a setback for him. Now Romney heads to New Hampshire. Santorum may - or he could just focus on South Carolina.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is blasting former Gov. Mitt Romney as someone who can't bring enough change to Washington.

The Minnesota congresswoman is finishing last among the six candidates who contested Iowa. She told supporters Tuesday night that she is proud of those who ran her campaign. Bachmann's state campaign chairman in Iowa, Brad Zaun, says that while he's disappointed with the caucus vote, it's time to move on.

Arizona Senator John McCain, his party's 2008 nominee, will endorse Mitt Romney in New Hampshire tomorrow, a well-placed former McCain aide told BuzzFeed Tuesday.

4.1.1. A member of the Armed Forces on active duty may: [...] 4.1.1.9. Attend partisan and nonpartisan political fundraising activities, meetings, rallies, debates, conventions, or activities as a spectator when not in uniform and when no inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement can reasonably be drawn. [...] 4.1.2. A member of the Armed Forces on active duty shall not: 4.1.2.1. Participate in partisan political fundraising activities (except as permitted in subparagraph 4.1.1.7.), rallies, conventions (including making speeches in the course thereof), management of campaigns, or debates, either on one’s own behalf or on that of another, without respect to uniform or inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement. Participation includes more than mere attendance as a spectator. [...] 4.1.2.5. Speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidate, or cause. 4.1.2.6. Participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.

ANKENY, Iowa -- Rep. Ron Paul is not going away. The Texas Republican who speaks for the party's libertarian wing is projected to finish third, dashing hopes of an Iowa victory that would have rattled the GOP establishment. Yet Paul will wind up within a handful of points of the leader, pulling in a strong 20-plus percent of the vote, despite weeks of bad press and a surging former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). With former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Santorum turning in top-tier performances as well, a divided party slugs its way to New Hampshire and South Carolina, where no immediate end is in sight.

The final Iowa results aren't in but we already know one big winner: President Barack Obama.

"The worst thing that can happen to Mitt Romney is to run head to head against Rick Santorum," he said. "He wants to have a multiple candidate field, so I think some of these candidates — they need to reassess where they are at tonight." "I think Michele Bachmann has to definitely [drop out]," he added.

Shrugging off a disappointing showing in Iowa's caucuses, Rick Perry said Tuesday he would compete in South Carolina regardless of the final tallies here and bought television time to back it up.

Though the night is still far from over, a virtual tie is seen as good news for all three candidates. It's also a sign that there may be something to the Santorum surge. But Romney may be the big winner, as the next votes to be cast will be here in New Hampshire where he leads Paul by a healthy margin in most polls. "My sense is that it's still Romney's race to lose," said Pat Griffin, a senior fellow at Saint Anselm College's New Hampshire Institute of Politics. "The message is mixed, but at the same time, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum will simply and unequivocally not be the nominees of the Republican Party."

As results of the Iowa caucuses began to roll in Tuesday night, Rep. Ron Paul's (R-Texas) campaign mocked Republican rival Jon Huntsman over Twitter. "We found your one Iowa voter, he's in Linn precinct 5 you might want to call him and say thanks," Paul's campaign tweeted at Huntsman around 8:35 p.m. ET. The tweet was deleted minutes later, but not before it had been picked up and retreated by numerous reporters and political junkies glued to Twitter for the latest Iowa results.

With fewer than 300 votes separating first-place Ron Paul from third-place Mitt Romney in votes counted so far, it should go without saying that we may be headed for a photo finish. The closest caucus historically came in 1996, when Bob Dole finished with 26 percent of the vote, Pat Buchanan 23 percent, and Lamar Alexander with 18 percent. The 8-point gap separating Mr. Dole and Mr. Alexander may wind up being much larger than the margin separating the top three candidates tonight.

An entrance poll of Republicans attending Iowa's presidential caucuses shows former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum leading among tea party supporters and born-again or evangelical voters.

At the UNI-Dome, at least a thousand people had entered by 7 p.m., and more were streaming in to the Republican caucuses in Black Hawk County. Organizers postponed the start time because people were still checking in. The check-in lines were long but moving smoothly, with everyone saying it is much better than four years ago when the Republican caucuses were at Central Middle School in Waterloo. In 2008, 3,000 people voted but another 1,000 were turned away, according to Black Hawk County Republicans organizers.

Andrea Pighe, 22, of Johnston brought her 3-year old daughter, Savannah, and she was attending her first caucus. Pighe said she would caucus for Santorum tonight. Savannah was passing out Santorum fliers, dressed for her important job in a pink dress with black tights. "It's my first time caucusing, I'm really excited," Pighe said.

There's a steady line of folks registering at Precinct 316 at Jordan Creek Elementary School in West Des Moines. About 25 people have changed their party registration to become Republicans for a night.

What do Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan have in common? These former presidents all lost in the Iowa caucuses, but won their party's nomination and, of course, the subsequent general elections. What about Mike Huckabee, Dick Gephardt and Tom Harkin? They came in first in Iowa but failed to become their party's standard-bearer.

Republican Rick Perry says Iowa and New Hampshire are not going to pick his party’s presidential candidate and vows to wage a 50-state contest to win the nomination. Perry faces tough odds in Tuesday night’s lead-off Iowa caucuses. His advisers are already looking ahead to South Carolina as a place to reboot their campaign.

The Hispanic businesses lining Second Street are a testament to the immigrant presence in Perry, Iowa, one of the most diverse cities in a state that isn't known for its ethnic diversity. But notably absent from the Republican candidates' campaigning in the lead-up to Monday’s Iowa caucus was any interest in reaching out to Latino voters here. "No, they aren’t offering us anything," said Eduardo Diaz-Cárdenas, 32, a former city council member. "Here in Iowa, they are more focused on reaching the most conservative voters."

Final ad figures from Iowa show that a pro-Mitt Romney "super PAC" outspent Romney's own presidential campaign by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, with almost all the money dedicated to harsh attack ads against Newt Gingrich that succeeded in causing the former Speaker's poll numbers to drop precipitously.

Before the first ballots are cast in Iowa Tuesday night, Mitt Romney can claim a small lead in the race to win the Republican presidential nomination. The former Massachusetts governor has secured the early public support of 11 of the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination, compared to two for Texas Gov. Rick Perry and one for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Hoping to establish a competitive position once the Republican presidential primary contest shifts its focus from Iowa to New Hampshire, Jon Huntsman sharply criticized Mitt Romney on Tuesday, saying the frontrunner would be an agent for Wall Street and protector of the status quo if elected.

Young voters came out in huge numbers to elect President Obama in 2008. This year, with no primary contest, Democrats are using their caucuses to test how much support they have in Iowa. But many young liberals have grown disenchanted with the president, and some have thrown their support behind Republican Ron Paul.

Republican candidates vying for the support of Iowa caucus-goers on Tuesday evening apparently have nothing to say about the big, bipartisan foreclosure fraud settlement sought by the Hawkeye State's top law enforcement official.

According to ad buy information provided to the Fix by a Republican following the TV ad wars closely, Paul spent $554,000 on television ads in Iowa ($344,000) and New Hampshire ($210,000) in the week beginning Dec. 19 and ending Dec. 25. Texas Gov. Rick Perry finished a close second with $509,000 spent, the vast majority of that — about $452,000 — in Iowa. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the favorite for the nomination, spent a surprisingly pedestrian $387,000 in the week leading up to Christmas including just $227,000 in Iowa.

Christian conservative leader Pat Robertson says he has a secret straight from God: He knows who the next president of the United States will be. "I think He showed me about the next president, but I'm not supposed to talk about that so I'll leave you in the dark -- probably just as well -- but I think I know who it's gonna be," Robertson said Tuesday on the Christian Broadcasting Network's "700 Club."

Following days of saturation caucus coverage, Washington Post chief correspondent Dan Balz was reminded Monday of a fortune cookie he recently cracked open. "Analyze only when necessary," the cookie advised. "I thought, if that isn't a counterpoint to the age we're in, in which it's analyze everything large, small and in-between," said Balz, who's never before witnessed such nonstop coverage of the horse race in his three decades trekking to Iowa. The result, he said, becomes "just a flow of conventional wisdom."

There's only a few hours left before the Iowa caucuses, which means in a few hours, the Iowa Caucuses are going to happen. Time for stressed out candidates, left to marinate over the holiday weekend in the brine of their own uncertainty, to play what is called "the expectations game!" Who thought who was going to win in Iowa? Well on Monday, Mitt Romney was in Marion, confidently predicting that Iowa would anoint him and send him on to the nomination.

In the video, Michael Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan, says that Newt is the best candidate to “help continue my father’s vision.” Newt also talks about his remarkable record as speaker – balancing the budget, cutting taxes, and reforming welfare – and how he plans to follow the same Reagan playbook to once again create jobs and economic growth. Newt also directly answers the dishonest attack ads point-by-point and explains why he has the right knowledge and experience to defeat President Obama and rebuild the America we love. With 41% of Iowans still undecided, we urgently need you to watch this video, forward it to your friends and family, and caucus tonight for Newt.

GOP presidential candidates made their last pitch to young Iowans Tuesday, with a few attempts to sound hip and boost their appeal to younger voters. "You've got to read those blogs and you have to read the news wires," former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) told students during an assembly at Valley High School in West Des Moines. "You've got to have an understanding of what's going on in this country."

If there had been an applause-o-meter inside West Des Moines Valley High School Tuesday morning, students might have broken it when Republican presidential contender Ron Paul approached the Rock the Caucus podium. The Texas congressman, who won a mock vote among Valley students last month, is leading in some polls and figuring to finish in the top three in others at tonight's Iowa Caucus. He enjoys stalwart support among young people, the target audience in the Rock the Caucus initiative to increase the participation of young voters in the political process. The thunderous applause for Paul rocked the bleachers and caused a crush of media to turn their cameras away from the stage in the middle of the gymnasium to the bleachers where Valley seniors - most of who are eligible to vote in tonight’s precinct caucuses - cheered on their first preference among the candidates.

Hours before Iowa caucuses, the Ron Paul campaign has launched its sharpest anti-Romney attack ad yet, a one-minute radio spot calling the former Massachusetts governor a "liberal" who has supported government bailouts, healthcare mandates and big government. The ad was running in Iowa Tuesday morning and afternoon.

The political theatrics between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum have, so far, been kept to a minimum, owing primarily to the latter's recent climb to frontrunner status in Iowa. But after the GOP primary moves beyond the Iowa caucuses, the two are expected to engage with one another more sharply.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, whose strong base of evangelical Christian supporters has thrust him into contention in Iowa, said on Monday that he believes states should have the right to outlaw birth control and sodomy without the interference of the Supreme Court. ... “The state has a right to do that, I have never questioned that the state has a right to do that," he said. "It is not a constitutional right. The state has the right to pass whatever statutes they have. That's the thing I have said about the activism of the Supreme Court--they are creating rights, and it should be left up to the people to decide."

The 2012 Iowa Caucus is the leadoff vote of the election season and starts the long march to November 6; however, many don't know what the contest entails. The Iowa Caucus (also referred to as "caucuses" because events are held statewide) may be considered more community-oriented than other candidate selection competitions. While the process doesn't exactly work the same way in every state that holds a caucus, Iowa sets a pretty good example of what to expect.

Asked in Des Moines if she would sit down and meet with Occupiers, Debbie Wasserman Schultz said on MSNBC, "I just got here at 1 o'clock in the morning. I mean really." Pressed on whether she would talk to the protesters if she got the chance, the Florida congresswoman responded, "I probably won't have a chance to talk to them while I'm here but I have talked to Occupy Wall Street folks over the last few months, I've been publicly supportive of them. I think that they are well within their rights to be frustrated."

It's one of those things where there are a lot of people out there who are hurting, who are struggling with a lot of different issues. My feeling is, that's part when you open yourself up to the public, you're going to get good things happen to you and not so nice things. What I'm taking the approach of is you move on. I feel sorry for that man that he felt like he was compelled he had to do that. Like I do, what I'm supposed to do, is you know, according to our faith, is to pray for them, and I hope people work that out.

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, fighting low expectations in the Iowa caucuses, is dismissing predictions that a poor showing could effectively doom her campaign. "We think people are going to be very surprised with what the vote is tonight. We're confident," Bachmann said after addressing an assembly of suburban high school students Tuesday morning. "We're moving on. We're moving forward because this election is far from over. This is the opening chapter. Tonight is the first vote. We've got a long road to go." ... She said she is banking on "silent support" not detected in polling. Bachmann has touted her backing by more than 200 pastors, many of whom she believes will turn out their entire congregations on her behalf.

In the clearest sign that all of the reporters in Iowa have run out of local Iowa culinary fare to take Instagrams of and are now just bored in the waning hours before caucusgoers actually start voting, Rick Santorum is now getting a lot of attention for -- uhm ... wearing sweater vests. Yes, that's right. The New York Times insists that Santorum's sweater vests are "turning heads."

A Super PAC supporting Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is running a TV ad in Iowa comparing the Minnesota congresswoman to beloved football quarterback Tim Tebow. The No Compromise PAC says the "establishment" just "loves to hate" both Tebow and Bachmann, claiming the Denver Broncos quarterback makes sports fans feel guilty because the born-again Christian doesn't "drink, cuss, smoke, or kick opponents when they're down."

The [Scott County Democrats are] also hoping to rev up enthusiasm... not just for the national election, but for local and state elections as well. The President plans to address Iowa Democrats who caucus tonight through a live satellite feed and is expected to ask Iowans for a "personal commitment." Leaders say even though they're not casting ballots for a presidential nominee, the caucus is one way to re-organize the party, train volunteers, and keep up interest in the President's agenda.

But I suspect he will do better post-Iowa than most people think — before being buried under a wave of money and negative ads. And I do believe that he represents sensibility and a viewpoint that is being suppressed by the political system. Perhaps, in less rigid and ideological form, this working-class experience will someday find a champion.

"Polls go up and down and the sample size is very small," Bachmann told CNN on Tuesday, insisting that "in the last two weeks we saw thousands of people as we traversed Iowa flip and go my way." She said she is the "one true conservative" in the GOP contest.

Rick Santorum blasted fellow Republican candidate Ron Paul as 'disgusting' following a media interview Tuesday morning, blaming the Texas congressman for a series of robo-calls insinuating that the former Pennsylvania senator was both pro'choice and against the second amendment.

Turning on the television in Iowa recently has meant getting hit by an unrelenting arctic blast of campaign ads stunning in volume and ferocity. Residents here say they have never seen anything like the constant negativity in decades of witnessing the quadrennial combat of the state presidential caucuses. The ads have transformed the Republican race for a simple reason: a new landscape of unlimited contributions to “independent” groups that was created by the Supreme Court.

"You have a job to do," Romney's wife, Ann Romney, told the audience. "Which is to set the stage for this entire election and let people figure out and coalesce around one candidate that can actually beat Barack Obama." Those words did not fall on deaf ears. Randy Schilt, a 53-year-old Monticello resident, said that before he came all the way from Jones County he was undecided, guessing that the chances of voting for Romney were 50 percent. Afterward, he put those chances at 90 percent.

Perry continued to have trouble with the details as he addressed potential supporters in a Sioux City hotel lobby Monday afternoon. In challenging rival Rick Santorum's support for home-state projects funded with federal money, the Texas governor referred to "the Bridge to Nowhere in Arizona." Actually, the project that became a symbol of runaway pork-barrel spending was planned for Alaska.

"This level of fluidity has been unprecedented that we've seen throughout the caucus season," Strawn said from his Des Moines office. "And I think that goes to how serious Republicans take the responsibility of replacing Barack Obama. We want to get the decision right." Strawn added that he expects many Iowans to remain undecided until the last minute. "Right now, still 2 out of 5 caucus goers are saying they're going to make their minds up caucus night, which is why it's so important for these campaigns to be organized," he said.

"Everything we say will have Romney's quote, Romney's videotape, Romney's record; it'll all be based explicitly on Romney," Gingrich said in an interview in Independence, Iowa. Gingrich has said repeatedly that Republicans should aim their attacks at President Obama, not fellow Republicans. But after getting hammered by millions of dollars in negative ads, Gingrich says he will now return fire, targeting Romney over and over again.

About two dozen members of Occupy the Caucuses silently laid down on the lobby floor of the Renaissance Savery in downtown Des Moines. The group is protesting corporate money in politics.

A distance runner before being slowed by back problems, the Texas governor said, "I finished my marathon, and I expect to finish this marathon as well." He said conservatives "don't have to settle for something less than what your values are." Perry predicted that "every day that goes by, we're going to get stronger" and called himself the only GOP contender who could combine an outsider message with "more importantly" an "ability to raise the money to go all the way through."

Viral reach is defined by the company as "the total reach for each candidate when people 'like' and comment, multiplied by the average number of friends per Facebook user to provide a comparable number." Candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Perry follow Paul in viral reach. President Obama is also a hot topic, topping Paul and other candidates in who "people are talking about" on Facebook.

The presidential election isn't all fun and games, unless you have an app for that. Logan Stinger of Waukee does. Stinger created Fund Slinger 2012, a mobile application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod. Fund Slinger 2012 is an interactive game featuring seven GOP presidential candidates alongside President Barack Obama in Whack-a-Mole type game that claims it can predict the results of the 2012 election.

"It's a question of whether we'll be better off the day after Iowa than we were the day before," said Stuart Stevens, Romney's top strategist. "Hopefully we will be."

"I said from the very beginning we would run a positive campaign," he said. "We would talk about positive ideas, and we would offer positive solutions. Some of my opponents have taken a very different tack, partly because they couldn't defend their record." While not immediately naming any names, Gingrich later mentioned rival Mitt Romney in connection to an ad that says he teamed with Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi on global warming. "It is a blatant falsehood, and Romney's people know it's false," he said.

She is the last of six candidates competing for a caucus win to run TV ads in a state now saturated with them. It's a reflection of a campaign running on financial fumes.

The automated poll conducted by the Democratic Party-affiliated firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows Ron Paul at 20 percent, Mitt Romney at 19 percent and Rick Santorum at 18 percent on a survey for which PPP reports a margin of error for each candidate of +/- 2.7 percent. Running farther back are Newt Gingrich at 14 percent, Rick Perry at 10 percent, Michele Bachmann at 8 percent, Jon Huntsman at 4 percent and Buddy Roemer at 2 percent. PPP interviewed 1,340 likely Republican caucus goers on December 31 and January 1.

In terms of candidates, he said, Mr. Paul comes closest to matching his rocky road ideal, as did the departed hopeful Mr. Cain. But rocky road is not always on the menu -- which Mr. Ball said was the case with Mr. Paul because he does not think he has a chance of winning. (Nor is fudge ripple, which Mr. Ball equated to Mr. Christie.) Mr. Romney is vanilla, said Mr. Ball, who works for a magazine processing company and was a nose-holding voter for Mr. McCain in the general election of 2008. He was attending a rally for Mr. Romney in Ames last Thursday at which the candidate's campaign bus literally pulled into the warehouse of a construction firm.

Throngs of Newt Gingrich supporters and media from around the world converged on West Towne Pub in Ames to get a final look at the presidential candidate before Tuesday's Iowa Caucuses. Jonas Cutler and his daughter, Arianna, 12, from West Des Moines, crowded just inside the door, to shake the candidate’s hand. “We’re very excited and glad to be first in the nation,” Jonas Cutler said, of the Caucuses. “We select presidents here.” As Gingrich and his wife, Callista, entered the crowded pub, the couple signed Newt’s book and the hat of Jon Hathaway of Des Moines, who told the couple, “My dad really likes you.”

• Her sample found fewer evangelicals among likely caucus-goers than in past caucuses, but if she weighted the final two days of interviewing so that evangelicals are 60 percent of participants -- the level reported by network entrance polls in 2008 -- Santorum would lead Romney by five points (25 to 20 percent).
• Consistent with her previous Iowa polls this year, Selzer found indications of lower turnout among seniors compared to past Republican caucuses. However, if seniors were weighted up to 27 percent of the respondent pool interviewed on the last two days (to match the 2008 entrance poll), Romney would lead Santorum by seven points (26 percent to 19 percent).

He has compromised in ways that frustrate some Republicans. But Republicans alone cannot elect the next president of the United States. We believe a Republican nominee capable of appealing only to the party's most conservative base will virtually assure Obama's re-election.

• "Newt Gingrich's excessive baggage might be forgiven, if not forgotten. But his judicial witch hunt makes us nervous."
• "[Perry] comes with pertinent executive experience, but lost us on his insistence that states can assume most critical federal regulatory and economic development duties."
• "Some of [Ron Paul]'s intriguing ideas enliven the campaign. Others, including a full foreign policy retreat, seem daft. Most of his ideas fail the governance test."
• "Rick Santorum's outsider label this campaign belies a deeply partisan insider history."
• "Bachmann's fervent ideology can't compensate for her world stage inexperience."

At the end of a year in which five different candidates took turns leading in polls of likely Iowa caucus-goers, the final and most respected survey shows the Iowa caucuses headed toward a photo finish. The final Des Moines Register Iowa poll shows Mitt Romney and Ron Paul leading the pack with 24 and 22 percent respectively, followed by 15 percent for Rick Santorum, 12 percent for Newt Gingrich, 11 percent for Rick Perry and 7 percent for Michele Bachmann.

Mitt Romney said Saturday that he would veto the Dream Act, a bill that would provide legal status to some undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children. "The question is, if I were elected and Congress were to pass the Dream Act, would I veto it? And the answer is yes," said the candidate, speaking in Le Mars, Iowa. But he added that he could support a system that offered legal status to people who served in the U.S. military. One provision of the Dream Act, which failed in the Senate when it last came up for a vote in December 2010, would allow some undocumented immigrants to work toward citizenship by joining the armed services for at least two years.

"I don't know how the rest of the conservatives in the room feel," said a questioner at Perry's last event of the day. "Personally, I'm fed up with seeing the directions on every single product on every single shelf of every single store written in foreign languages. And I'd like to say English should be the official language of government in this country." "That is a statement. That's not a question. And I can agree with that," Perry responded without elaborating further.

An unidentified man shouted “Stop the hate! Taste the rainbow!” as he threw glitter at the former Pennsylvania senator before being ushered out of Okoboji Grille, where Santorum was scheduled to watch the Iowa State game against Oklahoma. Santorum nonchalantly brushed the purple glitter off his shoulders and walked away without acknowledging the man.

The protester, a young man dressed in a white dress shirt and pants with a Rick Santorum sticker on his shirt, threw the glitter on the GOP presidential candidate as he shouted "stop the hate." Santorum simply kept walking with the glitter clinging to his Iowa Hawkeyes sweatshirt and began talking to the crowd as the protester was asked to leave the building by restaurant staff. The man, who appeared to be in his 20s, would only identify himself as "activist." Santorum's national communications manager, Hogan Gidley, said that while the candidate has been verbally abused at various campaign stops, he has never before been "glittered."

Sadly, there are only two candidates offering a real means by which to actually undo that which the Left has done to this country for the past 50 years, and not just conservative platitudes. One of those candidates is Ron Paul, but his foreign policy is naive at best and reckless at worst. The other is Newt Gingrich, who has campaigned on what I believe is the most important issue facing us as a people—the loss of the rule of law. The Left has used unelected judges and judicial oligarchy to reinvent the American way of life, from secularism to the loss of the sanctity of life, to the redefining of marriage, the confiscation of private property, and the granting of imaginary rights. There is an entire chapter of my new book devoted to the need for conservatives and Christians to confront judicial oligarchy once and for all. I have spent the past two years of my radio program educating my audience on this issue, and was a vocal proponent of Iowa’s historic judicial retention election last year, and Newt’s assistance with that effort was vital.

The mailer is a full-color recreation of the front page of Roll Call from Nov. 9, 1998, when Gingrich announced he would step down from the speakership and leave the House. "Gingrich Quits," the headline blares. The subhead reads, in part, "Speaker to Leave Congress," and continues, "Inability to Lead." The Romney campaign has superimposed a magnifying glass over the final three words. At the bottom of the mailer, in large white letters, it says, "Old Dog, Newt Tricks." The "t" in "Newt" is in red. The back of the mailer reads, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." It shows news articles about ethics violations against Gingrich, most of which were dismissed, and labels him a "super consultant," a "federal mandate supporter," and an "unreliable conservative."

"I think threats and attacks that are beyond our current thinking and conventional consideration have to be envisioned by military planners. I think cyber security is well behind where we should be at this stage. I think cyber warfare is also well behind where we could be. The possibility of other technologies interfering with our capacity to defend ourselves and maintain an economy –- such as the EMP threat –- have to be considered and protected against. It's one reason why I think a missile defense system is an appropriate and valid investment for the country."

The Huffington Post asked Romney in an interview Thursday what kind of daily routine he conducts to keep himself spiritually grounded ... Romney paused for a moment before describing his routine. "Let's see, how would I describe this? Let's see," he said. "I read scripture regularly, and seek the counsel of my creator on a daily basis." "I pray every day. I don't read scriptures every day, probably should," he added. Ann Romney, who sat on the couch in the Romney campaign bus next to her husband fiddling with an iPad, held up the device, prompting an exclamation from Mitt. "There we go, just did. I got them on my iPad," he said. "I should probably read scriptures every day, but I read them frequently, but not every day."

With former Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) expected to place at the top of the pack on Tuesday, the other candidates -- save former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who has put little work into the state -- are clamoring for the next spot, which will help keep them in the running as the process moves to New Hampshire and South Carolina. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), whose previously strong support has faded, plays down her polling numbers during stump speeches around the state. She admitted in Marshalltown on Thursday that pundits say it is "improbable" that she will win, trading on the skepticism with which many of her supporters view the media. "I'm asking for you to come out and do what all of the pundits tell you is improbable: vote for the candidate with the best chance to defeat Obama," she said. "That's me." But enthusiasm at the event, held at a local sports bar, seemed to be lower than it was at her appearances a few weeks prior. Tamara Scott, Bachmann's Iowa campaign co-chairwoman, attempted to pump up the crowd before Bachmann's entrance, with lackluster results. She asked the crowd to repeat after her a promise that they will caucus for Bachmann on Jan. 3. While many chimed in, their voices were soft and slow, despite Scott's urging. "Say, 'January 3, I will show up at my caucus, I will take five friends' -- come on -- 'and I will work to get Michele Bachmann on the ballot.' Say it," Scott said. "'I will work to get Michele Bachmann on the ballot.' Say it."

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said in an interview Thursday that none of the money that flowed into Bain Capital during his time at its helm in the 1980s and 90s came from Wall Street investors, though he said he doubted that records of such matters will be made public. "I don't believe any of the funding came from Wall Street, meaning from investment banks or the like," Romney told The Huffington Post on board his campaign bus as he barnstormed this state ahead of next Tuesday's caucuses, which kick off the Republican primary process. "Our funding came from individuals, and then ultimately we got funding from a church pension fund, endowments -– I think our largest single investor group were endowments, colleges," Romney said. "And then we used those funds to either start businesses, venture capital, or to try and buy businesses in trouble and make them stronger. That's not technically Wall Street, that's not an investment banking function, but it is financial services." ... "I am not going to be the technical divider of what's Wall Street or not. Wall Street is typically thought of as investment banking and banking and we were not an investment bank or a bank. But we were in the financial services sector generally," Romney said. "I am not a Wall Street guy, classically defined, but I am not going to quibble over definitions."

"There are two like-minded candidates in this race," Simon said. "At this point it comes down to ideas, and the vast differences between Ron Paul and the other candidates we've seen play out in the last couple weeks." But Simon didn't rule out voting for Johnson in November if Paul doesn't win the Republican nomination.

Sylva and David Williams, of Ames, used the event to solidify their Caucus vote. "We have from now until Tuesday to make up our minds," David said. "This is the first candidate event we've come to. We're interested in all the issues."

Police arrested 17 Occupy protesters, including a child, at the Iowa Democratic Party headquarters and Ron Paul's presidential campaign office on Thursday in an on-going week of demonstrations around the Iowa caucuses. A dozen of the approximately 50 protesters demonstrating at the IDP headquarters at 5661 Fleur Drive were arrested for trespassing on Thursday afternoon.

The energy was high at the event, however. Warm weather kept many in the tent long after Romney's initial appearance there -- he stopped in for a few words and handshakes before heading through the media gauntlet into the restaurant, where he made a short speech before working the room. His speech -- and his introduction -- quickly hit on a number of points that would potentially resonate with conservative voters. Former Utah governor Mike Leavitt introduced Romney with a story about asking the candidate to run the Salt Lake Olympics, where Romney helped turn a potential funding deficit into a surplus, Leavitt said, by focusing on what was needed, not what was wanted.

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is visiting Cedar Falls and Ames today as part of a last-minute Iowa bus tour that seems to be trying to make up for months of missed face time in the state. Ever since the Ames straw poll in August, which Romney declined to attend, the former governor of Massachusets has been conspicuos by his lack of presence in the state. Now, with only a few days until the Jan. 3 caucus, he's finally showing up in the place, Ames, that was the unofficial start of Iowa's campaign season. But not having campaigned in Iowa may not actually hurt Romney on caucus night, some political experts say.

Well, you do follow the letter of the law, and that’s what I intend to do. If we decide that we want to put some more information out, then we’ll do that down the road. You know, you never say never to questions that people have, but I’m going to do the things that are required under the law of the United States, and respectively in my state when I was there. That’s what we did, I think that’s what the people expect. And by the way, as you probably know, you get a pretty thorough examination when you’re running for office. All of your assets, all of your investments for yourself and your family, your immediate family, all these things are made public and that kind of unveiling gives people a good understanding of who you are.

I can tell you we follow the tax laws. And if there’s an opportunity to save taxes we, like anybody else in this country, will follow that opportunity. But we don’t have any current plans to release tax returns but never say never. We’ll see what the future holds. We’ve released, of course, all the information required by law — which is a pretty extensive release. But down the road, we’ll see what happens if I’m the nominee. I don’t have any immediate plans to reduce — or excuse me — release tax returns but that may change in the future."

TODD: By the way, are you going to release your tax returns if you're the nominee? ROMNEY: I doubt it. I will, I will provide all the financial info, which is an extraordinary pile of documents which show investments and so forth... TODD: But you wont do the tax returns? ROMNEY: I don't intend to release the tax returns...I don’t. TODD: You dared Ted Kennedy once... ROMNEY: I never say never but I uh..uh..uh I don't intend to do so.

"Dear Supporter, As a special thank you, if you subscribe before the Presidential Convention on September 5, you may have my newsletter for an unprecedented 50% off ($49.50)! Ron"

Why? Because none of his competitors sees the Texas congressman as a serious long-term rival for the nomination. One, Mitt Romney, sees a Paul win in Iowa as the next best thing to a Romney win, something that would deny an Iowa launching pad for a more serious long-term challenger such as Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry.

At one point in Bachmann's six-and-a-half minute stump speech she compared herself to Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of the United Kingdom. "Just like in 1980 with Ronald Reagan, we needed that conservative. There was another nation in a lot of trouble at that time. It was England, and they decided to take a chance on a very strong woman. Her name was Margaret Thatcher," Bachmann said. "Margaret Thatcher came in and she turned England around. She got them set on the right course and they called her the 'Iron Lady.' They meant that term as a mean term but she wore it as a badge of honor. She said, 'That means I'm principled. That means I stand.' That’s me too. I want to be America's Iron Lady."

A raucous, cheering crowd of more than 500 - many of whom were military veterans - packed Ron Paul's rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Wednesday night to support his call for personal liberties. The Texas congressman took the stage following the airing of his TV ad featuring a number of veterans showing support for Paul after he helped them to receive honors and awards. "It's really exciting," said Jeremy Sneed, 21 of Altoona. "This is my first (campaign rally), I didn't know what to expect."

Up and coming GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum continued to take shots at rival Ron Paul during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday night. Santorum equated Paul’s foreign policy plans to fringe Democrat Dennis Kucinich, called some of the Texas Congressman’s policies “craziness,” and suggested some of the changes Paul proposes to make are dictatorial. “He is out in the Dennis Kucinich wing of the Democratic party. He may even be left of Dennis Kucinich,” Santorum said of the libertarian Paul. “What people don’t like about Ron Paul is this craziness about cutting military in half, pulling our troops in from all over the world. (As president), he can do that."

With six days left for Iowa Republicans to select their presidential favorite, pop into several of Iowa's 99 counties, and you can see the caucus season has changed this year. Whether you are on West Des Moines’ 13-mile Grand Avenue corridor or in neighborhoods around Iowa City, Johnston or Cedar Falls, political signs are scarce, (although Ron Paul seems to be an exception) and campaign visits are infrequent. Flick on the radio or television or get on Facebook or YouTube, though, and suddenly the candidates are everywhere. "I think my impression is the great deal of the campaign is being done by television ads," said Virginia Soelberg, a Johnston resident, who said she hasn't received any robocalls or political flyers in the mail this year. Candidates have wooed Iowans differently in 2011 than in the past. They spent less time here chatting us up. Face time over a cup of coffee and a piece of pie at the town cafe was down but televised debate time was up.

Are you unhappy with the current GOP field? Let me tell you something: You are not alone. Join thousands of Iowans as we vote rogue. It's the caucus for Sarah Palin on Jan. 3. Let Iowa and the entire country know we want real leadership and real reform in D.C. So come on, Iowa! Vote rogue on Jan. 3.

The first new poll of likely Republican caucusgoers in Iowa since the Christmas holiday shows little change. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) continues to run slightly ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (24 to 20 percent), followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (13 percent), Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) (11 percent), Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Sen. Rick Santorum (10 percent each), former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (4 percent) and former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer (2 percent). The automated poll, conducted by the Democratic party-affiliated firm Public Policy Polling (PPP), was conducted on Monday and Tuesday and shows little or no change in vote preferences compared to their last survey, conducted ten days earlier. That poll showed Paul leading Romney by three points (23 to 20 percent), with Gingrich in third (14 percent).

Until former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) started to drop in the polls just before Christmas, it appeared for a week or two in December as if the Hawkeye State might deal a major setback to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's shot at the nomination. Now, however, Gingrich's fall has returned the race to its oft-revisited state of equilibrium, with Romney playing the confident role of likely nominee being chased by a pack of second-tier candidates who are unlikely to pose a serious challenge to him. On Tuesday, Romney ridiculed Gingrich's failure to make the ballot in Virginia, comparing him to "Lucille Ball in the chocolate factory." If one of Romney's challengers does unexpectedly well in Iowa, or if Romney does unexpectedly poorly, then the caucuses could shift the dynamics of the race. But if things go as they are currently on track to, Iowa will likely position Romney to win the nomination. Romney is not going gangbusters by any means. He's hovering around 20 percent in Iowa, where he's been all year. But he is facing a field of fellow candidates even more flawed than he.

Seven candidates running for President, but only one consistent conservative - Rick Santorum. A father of seven, a homeschooler, and a devoted husband for 21 years - Rick Santorum has been a passionate pro-family conservative for decades. He wrote the law that ended partial-birth abortions; led the fight to reform the welfare system, ending abuse and moving millions from welfare to work; and Santorum wrote critical legislation that protects America from the threat of a nuclear Iran. Sarah Palin praised Santorum for protecting the sanctity of life. Mike Huckabee said he loves Santorum's conviction. And Rush Limbaugh said it would be "great" if Santorum became president. And Rick is endorsed by Iowa conservatives like Bob Vander Plaats and Sam Clovis. Now it's time for all conservatives to unite and support Rick Santorum for President. Visit RickSantorum.com. Paid for by Rick Santorum for President. I'm Rick Santorum and I approved this message.

President Barack Obama was the big loser in Tuesday’s People’s Caucus with 30 of the about 100 “delegates” committed to occupying his re-election headquarters in the days leading up to the Jan. 3 Iowa Caucus. Second on the “dis-preference” list was Mitt Romney with 20 delegates, Ron Paul with 18, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry with 10 each, Michele Bachmann with seven, and Rick Santorum with one. Four of those attending remained uncommitted.

He defied them to find anything the Texas Congressman has been able to get through Congress. "I think the more Iowans look at Ron Paul the less attractive he will become," he said, criticizing claims Paul would cut one trillion dollars from the federal deficit in the first year. "No president can cut one trillion dollars. The congress has to pass that. You show me any indication Ron Paul's been able to pass anything through Congress in 20 years."

BLITZER: Serial hypocrisy? That's what Ron Paul is accusing you of. And you're telling me -- and I've covered you and have known you for a long time. Somebody says you're involved in serial hypocrisy and you're not going to fight back? GINGRICH: Well, first of all, as people get to know more about Ron Paul, who disowns 1 -- years of his own newsletter, says he didn't really realize what was in it, had no idea what he was making money on, had no idea that it was racist, anti-Semitic, called for the destruction of Israel, talked about a race war, all this is a sudden shock to Ron Paul? There will come a morning people won't take him as a serious person. This is -- this is a man who happened to have had a good cause, auditing the Federal Reserve, cleaning up the Federal Reserve. And I think as a -- as a protest, he's a very reasonable candidate. As a potential president, a person who thinks the United States was responsible for 9/11, a person who believes -- who wrote in his newsletter that the World Trade Center bombing in '93 might have been a CIA plot, a person who believes it doesn't matter if the Iranians own a nuclear weapon, I'd rather just say you look at Ron Paul's total record of systemic avoidance of reality, and you look at his newsletters, and then you look at his ads. His ads are about as accurate as his newsletter.

In a clever bit of semantics by Occupy Des Moines demonstrators to exploit Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status and gain the attention of media who have camped in Des Moines to cover the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, the winner in tonight’s People’s Caucus will actually be the loser. Out-of-state demonstrators from as far away as Los Angeles and New York are expected -- maybe -- to be among hundreds to attend the People’s Caucus. Attendees will organize into preference groups around the presidential candidate — one of the six on the caucus ballot in Iowa and President Barack Obama — who least represents their views.

With the Iowa caucuses just seven days away, attention now turns to polls of Iowa's likely caucus-goers, the most important measure of the current state of the Republican presidential race. For now, Iowa polls show a close contest led by Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. But the outcome is far from clear, and the caucuses' history of volatility and surprise will make for a interesting and uncertain week of poll watching. For the moment, multiple different polls are yielding reasonably consistent results: Six surveys completed in the last week all show a sharp downward trend for Newt Gingrich since he led the field in early December. Five of the six now show Gingrich running third or lower, with the one exception a poll that had been in the field for more than two weeks. Of the five more recent surveys, four show Paul ahead of Romney by margins ranging from 1 to 6 percentage points.

In the past year, the Mint has produced the first legal-tender gold coins of the United States since 1933 and has been successfully producing and distributing the first commemorative silver coins since the early 1950s. A very successful introduction has been completed of the Zinc one-cent coin ... And I'm anxiously awaiting the time when the Mint will be authorized to once again mint the double eagle, one-ounce gold coins.

Dear Friend and Supporter, 235 years ago yesterday, George Washington led a raid across an ice-filled Delaware River in a winter storm to surprise professional and highly-trained Hessian troops quartered in Trenton, NJ. Those under Washington's command were volunteers. Many did not have boots. They took too long to cross the river and were hours behind schedule. They overcame a series of hardships along the march on the New Jersey side of the river. Yet, they were successful. The raid's success fueled the Revolution and eight years later Washington stood victorious at Yorktown, VA. It is because of those few who stepped up that night, pressed forward and persevered, that we are a free country today. Our preparations are coming to an end. After months of pundit-driven "news" and commentary, in 8 days voters will finally be heard from. Each of you deserve thanks for sticking with the campaign. We have arrived at this point due to your drive and commitment. As we close in on Iowa and the early primary states, we need the support of as many people as possible. Please, grab an oar and make a donation to this campaign today. Sincerely, Michael Krull Newt 2012 Campaign Manager

The “Iowa Jobs and Prosperity Bus Tour” will make 22 stops between now and the Jan. 3 caucuses. That’s exactly half of the 44 he said he would make last week when announcing the tour during a stop in Davenport. Spokesman R.C. Hammond said last week downsizing was to make sure the former U.S. House Speaker and 2012 presidential candidate can make all of his stops and have time to meet with Iowans rather than to jam an unruly number of stops into a whirlwind tour.

An Iowa caucus campaign that has cycled through several Republican presidential front-runners entered its final week Monday, as unpredictable as the day conservatives began competing to emerge as Mitt Romney's chief rival. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, released a new television commercial for the state in which he cited a "moral imperative for America to stop spending more money than we take in. It's killing jobs," he said. Texas Gov. Rick Perry countered with an advertisement that said four of his rivals combined – none of them Romney – have served 63 years in Congress, "leaving us with debt, earmarks and bailouts." Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who has invested more time in Iowa than any other contender, was the only one in the state during the day. That changes Tuesday, with bus tours planned by Perry, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, all eager to energize their existing supporters and attract new ones.