A New Year, New Polls

Happy New Year!

It is, at last, 2008, and nearly every presidential candidate is spending today (and, I assume, tomorrow) in Iowa, where the presidential caucuses will be held on Thursday.

CNN/Opinion Research has released its latest poll from Iowa, and it shows that both parties are knotted up.

For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton leads with 33%, Barack Obama is second with 31% and John Edwards is third with 22%.

Since the last CNN/Opinion Research poll, Clinton and Obama have seen their numbers go up while Edwards' numbers have dropped.

"The survey suggests that for the Democrats, a three-way race may have effectively become a two-way race," CNN polling director Keating Holland said.

Meanwhile, Adam Nagourney of the New York Times ponders the possibility that, when the dust settles on Thursday, all three of the leading Democrats will be tied up, essentially where they are today.

But turnout for Iowa's caucuses is traditionally low, and it remains to be seen whether those voters who expressed a preference for any of the Democrats will actively support their choice on Thursday.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney leads with 31%, and Mike Huckabee runs a close second with 28%.

With a margin of error of 5%, the results indicate a dead heat in both parties.

The Des Moines Register, which recently endorsed Clinton and John McCain, also released a new poll this week. Obama leads among the Democrats with 32% while Clinton has 25% and Edwards has 24%. Huckabee is the leader among the Republicans with 32% while Romney has 26% and McCain has 13%.

By the way, if you want to participate in the caucuses, the Des Moines Register is devoting a section of its website to a list of caucus locations, news and general information.

If you're going to participate, be sure to be informed!

And if, as a participant, "change" is your buzzword this year, you owe it to yourself to read Rich Lowry's article in the National Review. He examines what change means to several of the leading candidates.

Take Lowry's assessment with a pinch of salt, and have a Happy New Year!