Candidates Stump Until Final Minutes Of Unpredictable Iowa Race

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Presidential candidates pressed for advantage until the final minutes of the Iowa caucus campaign Thursday, with Mike Huckabee preaching to the unconverted, John Edwards dressing up and hopefuls of both parties restraining themselves from bold predictions of victory in the wildly unpredictable race.

Iowans were summoned to the evening caucuses in biting cold but generally clear skies. It was for them to untangle a knotted race too close to call on either side, with three Democrats and two Republicans seemingly in contention for victory and a larger field hoping for bragging rights - or survival.

The candidates' challenge in the opening contest of the 2008 election was twofold: to get supporters out to the meetings and to win over the large numbers of voters who were stubbornly refusing to make up their minds until the very end, a quarter of caucus-goers by one recent estimate.

In the hours before decision time, Huckabee, in a head to head contest with Mitt Romney on the Republican side, took his case to a crowd of about 175 at a Burlington, Iowa, casino Thursday - only about half of whom were committed to him, judging by a show of hands.

Reprising his theme as a common man in a field of elites, he told the crowd he reminds people of the guy they work with, not the guy who laid them off. He dismissed the idea it takes millions of dollars to win, drawing an unspoken but unmistakable contrast with the wealthy Romney as well as other big spenders.

"It's about believing in a cause," the former Arkansas governor said. "It's about believing in some core values, some convictions about what makes this country strong, and what can keep it strong and make it even stronger."

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards switched from his familiar jeans and blazer to a dark suit and blue tie as he made his last pitch to middle-class Iowans worried about health insurance, drug costs and other pocketbook issues. Rallies in Des Moines, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids on Thursday were capping his push in a state he has repeatedly visited for the past four years.

"Our campaign to stand up for the middle class and stop corporate greed is unstoppable," the Democrat told about 200 cheering steelworker union members in a brief morning stop in Des Moines.

Most campaigns prepared for a quick segue to New Hampshire, the compressed nominating schedule giving them precious little time to build on their Iowa performance or recover from setbacks before the nation's first primary.

Rudy Giuliani was an exception. Largely bypassing Iowa and trailing Arizona Sen. John McCain and Romney in New Hampshire polls, the former New York mayor is focusing now on Florida's Jan. 29 primary, and planned to attend a rally in Hialeah, a heavily Cuban-American suburb of Miami, Thursday night. He has seen his national lead in polls wither in the early going.

Candidates hedged their Iowa bets, declaring "anything is possible," "it's too close to call" and all now depended on getting the people who've been cheering their words to come out to vote and arm-twist neighbors to do the same.

Romney most explicitly ramped back expectations, at least for public consumption, saying he'd settle for second in the opening contest of the 2008 election season - as well as in the New Hampshire primary only five days after Iowa.

Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in an equally unpredictable three-way race and a historic effort to become the first female president, said: "I feel good, but it depends on who comes out, who decides to actually put on their coats, warm up their cars and go to the caucuses."

Her rival, Sen. Barack Obama, echoed the sentiment. "Anything is possible at this point," he said. "We've put a lot into Iowa and our efforts here. We feel good about what we've done, but this is the beginning and not the end." Candidates spoke on the morning talk shows before a final round of campaigning as Iowans prepared to put their stamp on the wide-open presidential race.

Caucuses begin at 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. EST - and with that evening curtain-raiser, most candidates filled their Thursday calendar with still more speeches and events.

But while the talk was going on past one more sundown, the time for listening was fast drawing to a close. The persuasive power of rhetoric was suddenly yielding in importance to the availability of baby sitters to help people get to the caucuses.

Romney vastly outspent his rivals in Iowa and established a strong presence in the state since he stepped down as Massachusetts governor a year ago Thursday. Huckabee's upstart challenge wore away his edge in the state, but Romney dismissed the notion on the talk shows that anything had gone wrong in his campaign.

"Wrong? Hey, it couldn't be better," he said. "Are you kidding me? I started off as an unknown."

He noted he was the Republican candidate in the strongest contention in Iowa and New Hampshire both and insisted he did not have to win them to move strongly forward. "I'd like to win them but if I don't win, coming in second in these states is a strong statement." He said of Iowa: "I think at this stage it's too close to call."

Clinton, Obama, Romney and Edwards were interviewed on morning TV programs - CBS' "The Early Show," NBC's "Today" show and ABC's "Good Morning America."

Polls indicate an improbably tight three-way race for the Democrats, Clinton, Obama and Edwards essentially tied - a crowd-pleasing nail-biter reflected in swollen crowds at Democratic venues and expectations of a hectic caucus night.

Obama, an at-times stirring orator and the most viable black presidential candidate in history, drew large crowds in the Iowa campaign, yet acknowledged that would not put him over the top unless he could motivate his supporters to come to the caucus meetings.

Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee hoped to rescue his faltering candidacy with a third place finish against an ascendant McCain, with Giuliani and longshot Rep. Ron Paul also in the mix. McCain made a quick return to Iowa on Wednesday to acknowledge his improving fortunes in a state where he spent little time.

In Washington, White House press secretary Dana Perino predictably declined to say Thursday whether President Bush favored anyone in the GOP race. "Obviously, it's a very exciting time for America as they look to all the choices," she said. "And the president is watching it as he has been over the past little while, as an observer, as somebody who is obviously very interested in politics. But he's not spending a lot of time on that."