8 Days Till Iowa: Make Up Your Minds, Already!

By Joe Klein | @JoeKleinTIME | December 26, 2011 | +

Nothing much happening today. Just a tiny shiver in the zeitgeist…could it be Rick Santorum, after all? He hasn’t had his surge yet. He’s been the tortoise, campaigning slowly, patiently, throughout the state. He’s been extreme on some issues–homosexuality, Iran–but he hasn’t made a fool of himself. He’s been solid in the debates. He hits every mark in the Tea Party Trail of Tears. He was even anti-bailout. His Family First predilection is built for Iowa, and a worthy theme besides. He has walked the walk when it comes to his Catholic faith. And he got a couple of crucial evangelical endorsements last week.

Santorum is the subtext in this nice piece by David Farenthold about Iowa’s inability to make up its mind. I’m not saying he’s going to win. I have no idea who’s going to win. But Santorum could be this year’s version of John Edwards, who surged in the last week of the 2004 campaign, to finish second to John Kerry and ahead of the fast-fading Howard Dean.

All the candidates return to Iowa tomorrow, and so do I.

Related Topics: 2012 Election, In the Arena

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