I am grabbing a minute from the bone chilling cold of Des Moines to post a thought on the caucus system that is currently dominating the country’s attention.   Having been here for a few days and knocked on doors for my candidate (Obama) and listened to several others (Biden, Richardson, Edwards) and chatted with one (Huckabee – who had all the time in the world for me),I have overcome any initial skepticism and now believe that this entire process is an extraordinarily positive experience for the country.  

To be sure, those who are about to lose are right now sending out spin operatives to trash both the process and this wonderful state, but you should not believe them or the pundits who mouth the same conclusions.  The truth is that the entire world is going to get a thoughtful and caring view into the character of the man or woman who will be out next President.   If like me you truly believe in democracy, then this time and place will reflect our country’s judgment better than anything yet devised.

The voters of Iowa take this very, very seriously.   Unlike the rest of us, they have had multiple opportunities to meet and ask questions to every candidate.  Unlike the rest of us, they are watching debates and discussing them with their families. And unlike the interest groups and outsiders (like me) who knock on their doors, they are fundamentally unsure as to who they should select. As one young man said to me yesterday,  “Am I a Republican or a Democrat?   I don’t believe in killing babies or in going to war in Iraq.   I know that whoever wins won’t be able to do everything they say, but we need to change and I want the person who will really try.   I don’t know which way to go, but I am going to my caucus and I will choose both a party and a candidate - because I have to….”

The voters of Iowa want to get this right, and we should pay honest attention to what they say.