Hollow Victory?

I can understand Fred not attending the Ames Straw Poll, he's riding too high on the wave of "give us somebody else" to muddy his support in an actual poll. But I think it was pretty cruddy of Jewels and Cain to skip this one. Especially Jewels. I guess it could be argued that it was smart of him, knowing that he was trailing Mitt, and Huckles was starting to make a showing.

That's why the results, at first, look stunning. Mitt almost doubles Huckles' votes, making a huge showing in the straw poll. And with Huckles coming in second...wow! And that's why I'm a little miffed at Jewels and Cain. They removed a great deal of credibility from the poll. How can we know that Huckles really came in second? Would he have come in ahead of McCain? He is hoping to be able to pick up some cash after this, but from whom?

Mitt makes a good point, though. “It’s too bad the other guys weren’t competing here… but they ‘d have played if they thought they could have won,” he said.

So, with all the excitement of finally getting an idea of who are serious contenders, all we really know is that Tommy has turned his last name over to Fred to carry on the fight. And for those who shall remain nameless, who can't even beat a guy who is not even a candidate and never showed up, it might be time to think of a different direction, like home.