Jim: Keep in mind that Romney has an effectively infinite amount
of money, so he can keep running pretty much as long as he wants
to. Given how much he's spent on this so far, I wouldn't be shocked
to see him stick around through Feb. 5 even if he loses everything
in January, however pathetic that might begin to look.
Another thing to keep in mind: Obama is the big story coming out
of Iowa, and there's going to be a bandwagon effect that attracts
New Hampshire independents to the Democratic race -- independents
who would otherwise be voting for McCain. That's got to mitigate
the pro-McCain momentum out of Iowa somewhat.
AFTERTHOUGHT: The Obama-siphoning-indies effect is probably bad
for Ron Paul, too.