Passed Mile Marker 1... 49 To Go...

Paul at Powerline gives his concluding thoughts on the Iowa caucuses:

Iowa has given its seal of approval to (1) a one-term Senator who stands for "hope" and "change" and (2) a tacky, big spending governor who doesn't know much about foreign policy but did stay at a Holiday Inn Express. The common demoninator here, other than a patent lack of qualifications for the presidency, is likeability.

Well done, (small fraction of) Iowa.

Meanwhile, Scott at Powerline seems to think it is still down to Romney, McCain, and Giuliani:

The Iowa caucuses aren't going to resolve much of anything on the Republican side tonight. The race for the nomination seems certain to remain a three-way race among three plausible candidates. Each of them is formidable in his own way, and each has strengths that roughly offset his weaknesses. That is to say, each has substantial weaknesses. Conservatives are perhaps more than usual placed in the position of choosing the least worst among them.

This is definitely a marathon, not a sprint.