Huckabee within 4 in Washington Post/ABC poll. It also
shows Thompson moving up to third. I think the latest poll says
several things(aside from the obvious that Huckabee is indeed
competitive). First, the stepped up attacks on Huckabee on his
economic record ( from candidates and third party groups) at this
stage seem to be having no effect. Either the arguments haven't
permeated locally yet or voters don't care or Huckabee has
successfully deflected them. Second, does Romney's early state
strategy depend on a big win or any win, no matter how thin a
margin of victory, in Iowa? Certainly Huckabee will claim the
"moral" victory if he ends within shouting range of Romney. Third,
Thompson says he must finish third and he may becoming more
competitive with the help of those TV ads. Fourth, McCain is in
single digits tied with Ron Paul. Hard to see how this turns out
well for him. Fifth, how long before Romney acknowledges he must
turn his guns directly on Huckabee and will he risk offending the
"nice" voter sentiment in the Hawkeye State? UPDATE: Jonathan
Martin has a good take on why
Huckabee is rising and what Romney's challenges are- some which may
be fixable and others perhaps more difficult.