The good news for Senator Hillary Clinton is that she received the Des Moines Register endorsement. The bad news is that she got it a full 18 days before the Iowa caucuses. Four years ago, when the Register's support helped kick-start John Edwards' campaign into a surprise second-place finish behind John Kerry, the endorsement came only 8 days before the vote. That's a huge difference. By the time January 3rd rolls around, the December 16th Des Moines Register will be lining bird cages all over Iowa. Here's what to look for...assuming that Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Senator Tom Harkin (who found himself standing behind Howard Dean on election night -- that was his frozen smile during Dean's voluble not-quite-victory speech) both remain above the fray, there are only two big "gets" remaining in the Democratic presidential race, each of whom could have a major impact on Iowa voters. Picture this Register headline on January 1, 2008: "John Kerry Endorses Hillary Clinton; Chooses New York Senator Over Former Running Mate John Edwards." That's a late game changer. What could top it? How about this: "January 2, 2008 - Former Vice President And Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore To Campaign For..." Senator Barack Obama? Senator John Edwards? Now that's Tom Brady to Randy Moss...
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