Well it’s about 1200 miles away, but everyone in Brooklyn is wondering about Iowa. Who’s going to be the Mike Huckabee of 2012? Rick Santorum? Ron Paul? Or Mitt Romney?

In just a few hours we’ll know, and it will seem so much easier to gauge what’s going to happen next, who’s out of it already, ahem, PerryBachmann, excuse me, and who’s going to make Romney fight till the bitter end.

But do these caucuses really make a difference? Are they anything more than a show of hands for whom a rural segment of Middle Americans wouldn’t mind seeing in the White House? Maybe. Some would argue it depends on the state. Now South Carolina — there’s a caucus!

One thing’s clear: no one really likes Mitt Romney. His Mormonism is one thing, his extraordinary wealth is another, and his repeated attempt to take the Republican spotlight makes me wish we had a better candidate to oppose Obama, at least for the sake of the debates. I can just see it: Romney will do that stupid I’m-right-head-jerk-smile-laugh  after stuttering a response to Obama‘s defense of how he handled the economy over the past two years.

The sad thing is that if presidents weren’t so concerned with their legacy and their second term, they might be more preoccupied with making the four years they have worth it, instead of playing moderately to get their next four. Then these caucuses would really be fun.

Let campaign season begin!