Is Iowa up for grabs? Thompson seems to think so and is spending
a number of days there but drew some flak for ducking the press and the
crowd this weekend. The most critical part of his week for him may
be his meeting with the Des Moines Register editorial
board. David Yepsen is well known as the dean of the Iowa press
corps and the Register folks are known, as one GOP
strategist put it, for "drilling down" during their interviews and
pressing candidates on their views. If Thompson impresses and shows
a command of his material this could be a boost; if not, it's a
problem.