Money can't buy you love, Iowa edition

Teddy Kokoros: I think I am going to go into business selling shirts to Romney and his sons that read "I spent 7 million dollars in Iowa and all I got was this lousy voter turnout and T-shirt".

Amy: How much do I love that Romney didn't win? SO much.

... And if the Republicans actually nominate Huckabee.. oh, what a gift - because, of the front runners, he is the biggest buffoon.

Sco: Poor Mitt.

... It may be obvious, but the reason this hurts Mitt so much is not necessarily that he lost, but that he lost by double digits (or nearly so) to someone he outspent by 4-to-1 after laying groundwork in Iowa for nearly three years. Romney was buying favors in Des Moines before anyone outside of Arkansas ever heard of Mike Huckabee. That someone could waltz in and render all that effort moot in the last month or so leading up to the election shows how soft Romney's support really was. ...

The Outraged Liberal: We're one step closer to having Myth Romney move back to that permanent residence in Utah.

Jon Keller finds similarities between the Romney campaign and the war in Iraq.

Tim Jarrett doubts Huckabee will do well in the long run with his no-taxes theocracy platform but adds:

I'm nothing but thrilled to see him bloodying Mitt Romney’s nose.

Devone: What The Huck?

John Daley: I thought Romney could have done better, and Clinton, but Iowa is Iowa.

Jeff Egnaczyk: Is it just me or is it kind of ridiculous that we're talking about Iowa and New Hampshire as the two states that are key to who becomes the next president?

Dan Kennedy analyzes the after-results speeches by the front-runners in both parties:

... Clinton was fine, though she seemed exhausted, reminding people "I am so ready to lead" whenever she couldn't think of something to say. It's got to be a difficult moment for her - the way the calendar has been set up, she could find herself swept out of this very quickly. ...

Jay Fitzgerald: Edwards is caught in the middle like the Low Countries.

Stealth: Remember kids, that's a staggering third-place finish for Clinton.

Richard Howe: In 1992, New Hampshire saved Bill Clinton’s candidacy; sixteen years later, will history repeat itself?

J: Hillary Clinton, the she devil anti-christ is LOSING in Iowa. Oh Happy Day!!!

Emily2 on Obama: yippee!!!

Harry: Votes speak louder than pundits.

Susan H. says Clinton blew it by running as if she already had the nomination:

... When I attended her events in NH I felt I was witnessing a General Election campaign that I have seen and heard all my adult life: there was a discordant quality to her events. There was no grassroots feel to them. On the most visceral level I was witnessing the same old, same old. I would find myself saying to whomever I was with - this is a primary, right? A NH primary?There was no effort by her to engage voters in a direct way at all, all summer long. She wasted the summer in my opinion. She could have used that season to really listen, get a sense of the voters concerns, sharpen her ability to take challenging questions and she didn't. ...

Seth Gitell: It should be no surprise that Barack Obama just delivered one of the most powerful election night addresses in recent American history:

This is what he does. His core skill is the inspirational speech that makes Americans, particularly Baby Boomers, feel better about themselves and their country. ...

Sassy Sundry: Does America really want a president, however charming he may be, who stands tall with Chuck Norris?

Life, liberty, and ROUNDHOUSE for Jesus! Really?