OBAMA: SLEPT ON TIL NOW!
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) has won the Iowa caucuses while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) seemed headed for a third-place finish, a stunning affirmation of his message of hope and a stinging rebuke of the long-time national frontrunner.
Clinton called Obama to congratulate him on his victory and to concede the race moments ago. With nearly 1,600 of the state’s 1,781 precincts reporting their results, Obama led with 37 percent followed by former senator John Edwards with 30 percent of the vote and Clinton with 29 percent.
The Iowa Democratic party estimated that turnout would top 212,000, a projections based on 91.5 percent of the precincts currently reporting. In 2004, roughly 125,000 Democrats participated in the caucuses, and four years before that 59,000 Democrats turned out.
Obama’s win sends a shockwave through the Democratic field as a candidate who was elected to the Senate from Illinois just two years ago has toppled the first family of Democratic politics. Clinton’s apparent inability to beat out Edwards is likely to send warning signals throughout her campaign. The former First Lady now almost certainly needs a win in New Hampshire to reassert her status as the likely nominee.
In the runup to tonight’s vote, the candidates did some light campaigning and quickly hunkered down to await the results of the pm...(REST OF STORY HERE)
