It's Obama for Democrats after the Iowa Caucus

The Democratic Party's Iowa Caucus results ( Google Map--adapted above): were as follows (in delegate equivalents):

Senator Barack Obama : 37.58%
Senator John Edwards : 29.75%
Senator Hillary Clinton : 29.47%
Governor Bill Richardson : 2.11%
Senator Joe Biden : 0.93%
Senator Chris Dodd : 0.02%
Uncommitted : 0.14%

Both Biden and Dodd have dropped out of the race. Biden's statement was, some would say, uncharacteristically short:

I am not going away. I’m returning to the Senate as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and will continue to ensure that we protect the nation’s security and show our country that Democrats know how to keep America safe, keep our commitment to our troops and restore our country’s respect in the world.

Dodd's speech was longer and eloquently repeated the themes of his candidacy. After talking about how his campaign had been rewawrding despite the outcome and his inspiration by President Kennedy to serve and make a difference, he continued:

While we came up short in the race for caucus votes tonight, our campaign has more than kept pace in the race of ideas.

By raising ideas no other Presidential candidate has ever proposed, let there be no doubt that this campaign has set the standard.

When we began this race, every Democrat was for ending the war in Iraq - a war that has made us not more secure, but less so.

But it was only when we stood up and said this President wouldn't get another penny to fight that war that other candidates committed to doing what was necessary to actually end it.

When we began this race, every Democrat—every American—agreed that in America, we should never need a national crisis to bring the country together with national purpose.

But only when we proposed a universal national service plan to create the first generation in history that served our country did the national service debate begin in earnest - to create that renewed sense of community we all want.

And after 7 years of insecurity and watching this President have to go into hiding when he traveled abroad, we were all for stopping this President's assault on the Constitution.

But it was only when I stood up and you stood with me—it was only when tens of thousands of Americans stood together and said we would do whatever it took to stop this President from shredding the rule of law—that we actually did stop him.

And that fight goes on.

Gravel's website announced he was still in the race, despites rumors to the contrary. Nothing on Kucinich's site, other than that he was throwing his support to Obama for the second round, if he were not viable. Richardson was making the most of his tiny results, as " fourth place" finish.

more soon. The library is closing.