Novak Calling For Clinton To Place Third In Iowa
Robert Novak is calling a third place finish for Hillary Clinton as highly probable. This may well explain the high rpm spin that Tom Vilsack is attempting to apply in advance of the caucuses (previous post).
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The Democratic field looks to shake out this way:
1st Place: Barack Obama
2nd Place: John Edwards
3rd Place: Hillary Clinton
4th Place: Bill Richardson
My guess is that Hillary's internal polling is showing a real problem and they sent Vilsack out to provide as much spin as humanly possible with a face familiar to Iowans. I've speculated before that a third place finish might be a real problem for Clinton going into New Hampshire. Not much longer to wait now.
Other Links to this Post
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The Moderate Voice — Thursday, 3 January , 2008 @ 2:50 am
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Blue Crab Boulevard » Novak Autopsies Clinton Iowa Campaign — Thursday, 3 January , 2008 @ 8:30 am
By NortonPete, Wednesday, 2 January , 2008 @ 8:33 pm
I’ll throw $20 on these odds with Hitlary coming in 3rd..
By Anthony (Los Angeles), Wednesday, 2 January , 2008 @ 10:23 pm
I’ll bet you $5 in Monopoly money that Edwards edges Obama for first, and that Hillary has trouble holding on to third.
Which should really bug Richardson, since he’s running to be her Secretary of State.
By martian, Thursday, 3 January , 2008 @ 10:17 am
I got an email from Dick Morris this morning with the following anaysis of Hillary’s Iowa opportunities:
“If she scores a decisive triumph, the race for the nomination is almost over.
A victory here would likely propel her to a win in New Hampshire and the nomination would be hers. But she doesn’t need to win. Her national base is so strong that she just has to stop anyone else from winning.
If no clear winner emerges, but the results show, instead, a three-way tie with Obama and Edwards, or a two-way tie between herself and either of her challengers, she comes out the winner. But if she clearly loses by a good margin or finishes third, she has blown a major opportunity and is in for a long cold winter of primaries. She won’t be knocked out in Iowa no matter what, but she could be knocked down.”
I for one would love to see her end up in 3rd place in Iowa. It would be a lot of fun watching her entire campaign thrash around and jump from issue to issue trying to recover before New Hampshire. I’d also like to see a little strain in that grin she’s had plastered on her face for the last few weeks.