interesting quote from Joe in Des Moines Register article

[Muttocracy]

via my old Google Alert, mostly about Obama but anyway:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080809/OPINION01/808090311/-1/NEWS04

ending:
I met Sen. Joe Biden in a small-town cafe during his noble, if ultimately unsuccessful, Iowa-caucuses effort. He gave me this heartfelt warning: "Don't lose this, man. Without Iowa, everything will be about money and media. There would be no point in a guy like me even trying." He warned that a Carter, Edwards, Huckabee and maybe even an Obama would have been blown out of the water if the process started in a large state where paid media and money are too often the deciding factors.

As the memory of a face-to-face campaign of ideas fades into a familiar disheartening farce, take just a moment to remember what it was like at the beginning. The candidates said kind things about their opponents, talked in full sentences and had to be "Iowa nice." The campaigns, especially on the Democratic side, left the state steeped in optimism. All of the choices seemed to be between good and better.

That was only six months ago. I do not expect my good friend Barack to beg me for advice or invite me to lunch. All I want is to get that feeling back.

[gateley]

1. Wow - that is moving.

And Joe is wonderful. He is - he's just a wonderful human being.

[WheelWalker]

2. He is, you know. Joe is one of us.