Iowa

IOWA CAUCUS ENDS WITH HUGE SURPRISE
AND A CLEAR WINNER

Even though it was a Republican poll, the big winner is sitting president Obama.

Establishing candidates Romney and Santorum as favourites now is suicidal for the elephant party's aspiration to reclaim the White House. Romney is a member of a sect that will force him to exercise a maximum of cronyism and boiler room dealings if elected, for which the American voter will have no appetite or tolerance. The PA senator Santorum is best summed up as a nutter, and the champion of platitudes.

Gingrich, Bachman and Perry have been discarded as useless and without merits altogether. Ron Paul, who comes across like a tamed Ross Perot of ions ago, will stay in the race for a few more weeks and could become important to plead allegeance with the ultimate Republican candidate, possibly making him a VP candidate in November.

But it is clear to this commentator that Barack Obama can look forward to the election with calm confidence from here on.