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Forget the Iowa Caucuses. Even forget the US Presidential race. CNN appears to be preparing a showdown with Fox News in an effort to capitalize on a groundswell of anger cast towards Fox News and its exclusion of Republican candidate Ron Paul. The long term Texas Congressman's loyal supporters have threatened to boycott Fox News sponsors and drive its parent company shares down. But the best weapon Ron Paul supporters may have behind them is none other than CNN. We've been following reporting on the Iowa Caucuses this evening on both Fox News and CNN. While there has been little mention of Paul, CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Jack Cafferty spoke highly of him, responding to one email sent in suggesting that CNN has not provided the Republican candidate with enough exposure. "We were most certainly covering his recent fund raising efforts (where Ron Paul raised over $20 million)," Wolf Blitzer commented, finishing off by saying "None of us here in the Situation Room are going to be surprised if Ron Paul does well in Iowa this evening". Jack Cafferty, who has been providing favorable coverage of the Ron Paul campaign in recent weeks, concurred. It gets better, however. Nearly every email read over the air included Ron Paul among the top three finishers in Iowa and one of the three who would continue in the race. Most of the Iowa polls are showing Ron Paul in a dead heat in third place with Fred Thompson and John McCain, however, his supporters suggest that Paul will end up a few percentage points higher than the poll numbers since he's appealing to those who have never voted before and the so-called "undecided" who may now see him as "electable". A strong finish in Iowa will almost guarantee Ron Paul a solid finish in New Hampshire where voters on the fence will feel more confident he can compete and win. The vibe for Ron Paul, Barack Obama, John McCain, Mike Huckabee and John Edwards has been overwhelmingly positive in the news. The major news sites are practically holding a funeral for both Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani while Mitt Romney is being painted as someone who will do well in Iowa but can't afford to get beaten by Huckabee. In polls, Barack Obama and John Edwards were both passing by Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side. Mike Huckabee appeared to be expanding the gap between him and Mitt Romney. A number of candidates are likely to drop out following the Iowa Caucuses and Fred Thompson could be one of them, though his camp is on the offensive, denying such rumors. Oddsmakers had Huckabee, Romney and Paul the top three finishers among Republicans in Iowa while McCain, Romney and Paul were the top three finishers in New Hampshire. Obama, Clinton and Edwards were listed as the top three Democratic finishers, in that order, in both states, though Clinton's odds were much closer to Obama's in New Hampshire. Sportsbook.com will be updating its odds on the 2008 US Presidency immediately following the Iowa Caucuses. Gambling911.com is your source for all the latest political prediction markets...accurate, fair and honest. IOWA PRIMARY LATEST NEWS FROM GAMBLING911.COM ---- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Originally published January 3, 2008 6:20 pm EST
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Wolf
Blitzer of CNN:
"None of us in the
Situation Room Will
be Surprised if Ron
Paul Does Well in
Iowa"