Political Thunder: Obama, Huckabee win in Iowa!

Friday, January 04, 2008

Obama, Huckabee win in Iowa!

Congratulations to Sen. Obama and Sen. Edwards for defeating the so called "inevitable" Sen. Clinton. It was fantastic to see both of them win. Also, congratulations to Gov. Huckabee for coming from 1% to the Iowa caucus winner!

What a great night!

Here's the story on Sen. Obama's win...

A victorious Barack Obama portrayed his decisive first-place finish in the Iowa Democratic caucuses as a "defining moment" that he said would lead the way to change in Washington and an end to the war in Iraq.

The first-term senator from Illinois promised "a nation less divided and more united" and told those at a victory rally they could some day "look back and say this is the moment where it all began."

Obama, 46, is bidding to become the first black president. He garnered about 38 percent of the vote, comfortably ahead of former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former first lady.

"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. ... But on this January night, on this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You did what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days," Obama said.

If elected, Obama vowed, "I'll be a president that ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home, who restores our moral standing, who understands that 9-11 is not a way a way to scare up votes but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the 21st Century."

"Hope is the bedrock of this nation, the belief that our destiny will not be written for us but by us, by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is but who have the courage to remake the world as it should be," he said. "That is what we started here in Iowa and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond."

More...

LINK: Obama Says His Victory Will Bring Change

And on Gov. Huckabee's win...

Long-shot Republican candidate Mike Huckabee declared "a new day in American politics" Thursday after riding strong support from evangelical Christians into a decisive victory in the Iowa caucuses.

Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister and, like Bill Clinton, a native of Hope, Ark., managed to win despite trailing badly in national polls for most of the year. He out-hustled runner-up Mitt Romney and better-known candidates John McCain, Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani with a coalition of pastors, home schooling adherents, gun rights advocates and supporters of a new national tax system.

"This election is not about me. It's about we," the former Arkansas governor told supporters here. He said the victory would ignite "a prairie fire of new hope and zeal."

The victory makes Huckabee a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination. That was confirmed instantly Thursday night when the Democratic National Committee's website headlined, "Mike's Win Means More of the Same … Huckabee Promises Third Bush Term."

Now, he moves on to New Hampshire, where Romney and McCain are battling for the lead in the nation's first primary Tuesday. He was scheduled to appear there today with actor Chuck Norris and to play his bass with a local band, Mama Kicks.

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