As results of the Iowa Caucuses came in tonight, David Oman, former GOP candidate for governor and a top aide to Iowa’s last two Republican governors, had the following observations from Des Moines:

– Watching post caucus remarks, John Edwards looks like old news, and Hillary Clinton comes off as old-old news.

– Sen. Obama had perfect pitch this evening, and throughout his Iowa campaign. His is the Democratic campaign that truly points to the future.  As I mentioned to you earlier,
Obama’s campaign pulled in a number of Republicans in the DSM area.  I know many and am married to one of them.  I do not know a single Republican who attended a Democratic caucus on behalf of Sen. Clinton.

– Mike Huckabee is a genuinely likable guy and likeability is often underrated as a factor in politics. He tapped into something in our state, economic insecurity to be exact. He understood that small towns in Iowa are probably a lot like small towns in Arkansas.  They are a lot different from the wealthy suburbs of Detroit where Romney grew up and from Massachusetts, where he lives.

– The energy level was dramatically different in the two party caucuses in our neighborhood middle school. Democratic turnout probably four times larger, noisier and full of energy.  Not a good signal from this very swing, if not Republican leaning, precinct for the fall campaign.