Bad winners, worse losers

I received a handful of e-mails from presidential campaigns, but not as many as I would have thought. We get flooded with press releases from candidates, almost all of them irrelevant to our readers. Such as a message from John McCain’s mother wishing him a happy birthday.
If you ever wonder why reporters are twitchy, unpredictable creatures, read the statements below concerning the recent Iowa state caucus. And make sure you read this column over at Slate to see why Iowa is might be much ado about nothing — not to mention a shoddy example of modern democracy.
Meanwhile, here's the spin.

1 — South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler released the following statement following last night's unexpectedly high turnout in the Iowa Democratic Caucus.
"Last night's caucuses in Iowa showed how divided and uninspired the Republican Party is. Not only did Iowa Republican caucus-goers reject the mainstream Republicans last night, they gave right-wing fundamentalist Mike Huckabee a surprise victory. A guy with no staff, no money, and very little national visibility has become their front-runner.
It's clear from last night's caucuses in Iowa there is more energy and more enthusiasm to elect a Democratic president than ever before. I think the enthusiasm from Iowa will spread to South Carolina primary voters and result in an unprecedented voter turnout on January 26."

2 — U.S. Senator John McCain's South Carolina Chair, Adjutant General Stan Spears, issued the following statement regarding the Iowa Caucus:
"We're proud of the campaign John McCain ran in Iowa. It's clear now that the American people understand the greatest challenge of our generation is the struggle against Islamic extremism. In these dangerous times, America needs a leader with national security experience, courage and judgment to lead as commander in chief from day one. America needs John McCain."

3 — Republican candidate Mitt Romney had this to say:
"Well, you know, I think the race in Iowa was really a very clear call that people want change in Washington, not in the White House, in Washington. It was a very disappointing night for John McCain, who came in fourth despite the support of the Des Moines Register, a very disappointing night from Hillary Clinton. For those people who are Washington insiders, Iowa said no. And I think you're going to find America saying, 'You know what, we want to change Washington, and that's only going to be possible with somebody who comes from outside Washington.' So, my message will be about changing Washington, getting the major problems we have solved rather than having Washington insiders just change the chairs around."