michele bachmann is out. deciding, after iowa, that she is not going to continue in her bid for the presidency of this country saying i have decided to stand aside, i will not be continuing in the race for our presidency. but also mentioning obama care some 1 thy1 times in that speec. was&t. surprising she didn't say anything about the presidential run until ten minutes and talked mainly about obama care? i was striking my paper every time she mentioned it, 11 times. >> what she did on the stump in iowa. she was relentless on president obama, his agenda and the health care bill passed which most of country wants. most of the country wants universal health care. you can make the case that michele bachmann is disconnected from what the majority of americans want in this country. there are a lot of good things in that health care bill and i'm sure that the democrats are able to debate it easily. but this is her benchmark issue and it has been all along. she said today that this is the reason why she decided to r

my name is michele bachmann. entrusted to every american is the responsibility to watch over our republic. you can look back from the time of the pilgrims to the time of william pen to the time of our founding fathers. all we have to do is look around because very clearly we are encompassed about with a great cloud of witnesses that bear witness to the sacrifices that were made to establish the united states and the precious principles of freedom that make it the greatest force for good that has ever been seen on the planet. every generation has served as the next stepping stone down the path of our liberty, and every day i'm reminded of that conviction that we have to the principles of freedom and justice by a painting. it's a painting that hang in the united states capitol. it's made by howard chandler christy scene at the signing of the constitution of the united states. it hangs in the east grand stairway of the united states capitol. every school child is familiar with this painting, but i've been privileged

>> right here. >> how about michele bachmann? >> who is michele bachmann? >> there is rick perry. >> make sure that they are all there and count them. [unintelligible] >> ron paul. >> michele bachmann, confirmed. >> i got 37 here. >> this is rick perry? >> yes. [unintelligible] >> i would like to redo that. and >> 374 rick perry. -- >> 37 for rick perry. >> 824 rick santorum. -- 82 for rick santorum. >> 51. >> confirmed. [unintelligible] >> does someone want to confirm huntsman here? >> how many? >> one. >> way to go. >> double check the floor. >> make it official. [unintelligible] >> 334 people so far. >> sorry, take your time. >> of 116 it is. -- >> 116 is. >> good job. >> these need to be saved? >> why not hang on to them. >> sure. put them all in one, nice container? >> yak, put them all in one. -- yeah, put them all in one. >> can you confirm my numbers? >> it is 0.03. >> oh. >> it is not going to matter. it is cut off at 15%. >> thanks, john. >> dean, are you satisfied? >> is the camera crew satisfied? all right. [laughter] thanks, everyone. good job.

michele bachmann, 6%, very disappointing night for michele bachmann. she was born in iowa, raised in iowa, represents a district in minnesota that's right next door. unfortunately for her, she's not doing very well in these caucuses. jon huntsman didn't really campaign. he's going full speed ahead in new hampshire. we'll see how he does a week from today in new hampshire. anderson, it's still way, way too close to call -- oh, there you are, over there. >> i keep moving around here. very dynamic night here. the map is starting to populate in terms of the population centers. what are we seeing now? >> what we're seeing is, a, more of the counties filling in. this part of the state is very important. again, the split. four years ago, this was mike huckabee country. one county for romney, country county for romney here. this is your tea party evangelical vote. mike huckabee took it all four years ago. we've got a split. the lighter pink is ron paul, the dark red is mitt romney, the purple is rick santorum. we have a three-way race here. earlier i told you

rick perry, michele bachmann. we're waiting on michele bachmann. she canceled an event in south carolina. is the republican field about to get a wee bit smaller. wield find out after this. >> once again the people's voice will be heard there and make no mistake as i have said often and early on this campaign, barack obama will a one-term president. did you hear that, america? you heard it here from iowa. my mother froze everything. i was 18 years old before i had my first fresh bun. the invention that i came up with is the hot dog ez bun steamer. steam is the key to a great hot dog. i knew it was gng to be a success. the invention was so simple that i knew i needed to prott it. my name is chris schutte and i got my patent, trademark and llc on legalzoom. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. i used to not travel very much, but then i discovered hotwire. now, i use all my vacation days.

rick perry and michele bachmann. if you take their 15 points and put them on either rick santorum or newt gingrich, they become the front-runner in this thing again. i don't know if those 15 points go to one place, but that's the play here for both newt gingrich and rick santorum. they both want to become the single, lone alternative to mitt romney. that's how mitt romney gets defeated. and it's probably the only way he gets defeated. the field needs to get winnowed, the fracturing needs to stop, conservatives need to unite behind one candidate or mitt romney will be the nominee. 3 out of 4 voters in iowa last night went in to vote for somebody other than mitt romney in every single alternative was flawed in some way. so the conservatives are not there yet. >> unfortunately we have to leave it there. we have to get to the michele bachmann news conference. michelle, steve, thank you both. >>> today's tweet of the day comes from new york city based comedian sam grchlt rittner. mitt romney won the caucus by eight votes

my name is michele bachmann. entrusted to every american is the responsibility to watch over our republic. you can look back from the time of the pilgrims, to the time of william penn. to the time of our founding fathers. all we have to do is look around because very clearly we are encompassed about with a great cloud of witnesses that bear witness to the sacrifices, that were made to establish the united states and the precious principles of freedom that make it the greatest force for good that has ever been seen on the planet. every generation has served as the next stepping stone down the path of our liberty, and every day i'm reminded of that conviction that we have to the principles of freedom and justice by a painting. it is a painting that hangs in the united states capitol. it was made by howard chandler at the signing of the constitution of the united states. it hangs in the east graham stairway of the united states capitol. every schoolchild is familiar with this painting but i've been privileged to see

rick perry, 10% and michele bachmann, 5%. most of the candidates are heading to new hampshire ahead of the prime there next tuesday. coming up at 7:15, the announcement from michele bachmann that may put into question the future of her campaign and other signs another candidate may be on his way out. >>> california's legislature reconvenes today. lawmakers will have to fick out how to solve the state's $12 billion budget -- figure out how to solve the state's $12 billion budget. other items, whether to raise the minimum wage to $8.50, a bill allows regulation of health insurance rates and if republicans can get a spending cap passed. >>> well, san jose mayor chuck reed is working on a plan to end a growing battle over the city's pot club. he's considering allowing more pot clubs in the future. the city council introduced an ordinance that would reduce those clubs from 100 to just 10. they are gathering signatures and arit would lead to marijuana superstores that federal agents would eventually shut down. >>> well, at least fo

michele bachmann, now. what's interesting in iowa is you see a couple of the only people who haven't risen i suppose you see here. you see bachmann. you see cain get much higher than he got on the national poll. romney continuing to stay in the 20s. you see gingrich with the surge there. then you see the ron paul surge which obviously you didn't see nationally. mitt romney. then you see mitt romney there. >> then you would see rick santorum. >> rick santorum. so you see paul and santorum here, bachmann, people you don't see nationally you see here in iowa. >> right. and that's because you're seeing a lot of rick santorum in iowa. don't forget, this is sort of a process of elimination here with the ups and downs nationally. also the ups and downs in iowa. but iowa caucusgoers like to meet their candidates. ron paul has a very effective message, which they understand and like. which is small government. he's got a great organization. really, really important. they've seen a lot of michele bachmann, but what t

michele bachmann 62. and there were 5 votes for herman cain. >> the numbers we just received from the county chair woman right here in clinton county. >> what do you mean the numbers don't match? >> just to be precise. we didn't wake you up, the state chairs in des moines they called you and they woke you up, is that right? >> no, i woke her up. this is carolyn. >> carolyn woke her up to get the numbers because the state was -- >> waiting for the results when i was told by the party. so, i came to wake up edith who didn't answer her phone. >> you ladies don't have any fresh coffee brewed, do you? >> no, but i think i'm ready for it. >> guess what, joining us now, on the phone, edith and carolyn. let's give her a big round of applause. let me start with edith, edith, thank you so much. on behalf of all of us, on behalf of the american people, we want to thank you for clearing up this mystery. tell us how you feel right now, edith? >> i'm just overwhelmed with all of this. >> you're trending worldwide appar

michele bachmann for president. guest: congresswoman michele bachmann. we will be hearing from her in just a few moments on "washington journal" in advance of the iowa caucuses this evening. you want to join the conversation and ask her some questions, you can do that by e- mail or facebook. you can give some questions for michele bachmann. here is "usa today." reporting from des moines, former house speaker newt gingrich said monday that he did not expect to win today's iowa caucuses. host: let's take a look at one of the others. host: let's go to the phones and hear from tony in trenton, new jersey on the line for independents about the iowa caucuses. good morning. caller: i used to be a democrat, but my party has been taken over by liberals. they are destroying the country. i can no longer support a democrat. i am looking for someone in the republican party that can bring the country back together again. our nation is divided more today .han during the 1860's i do not see any path to straighten it out unless i see someone with high moral standards. i'

michele bachmann. mitt romney. mitt romney. michele bachmann. rick santorum. rick santorum. mitt romney. mitt romney. rick santorum. mitt romney. mitt romney. rick santorum. mitt romney. michele bachmann. newt gingrich. newt gingrich. ron paul. mitt romney. rick santorum. rick santorum. mitt romney. michele bachmann. ron paul. ron paul. ron paul. rick santorum. michele bachmann. rick santorum. rick santorum. rick santorum. newt gingrich. newt gingrich. mitt romney. mitt romney. mitt romney. rick santorum. rick santorum. rick santorum. rick santorum. rick santorum. ron paul. rick santorum. michele bachmann. newt gingrich. rick perry. mitt romney. rick santorum. rick santorum. newt gingrich. mitt romney. mitt romney. rick santorum. rick santorum in one spot. mitt romney second, paul and newt gingrich tied in third. it appears that the first count. rick santorum, first, mitt romney, second, paul and newt gingrich tied for third. i will announce the total study audience and a make the official tabulation to des moines. just again so that we have the ascent of mr. freeman, the sh

let's talk about michele bachmann's exit. one of my favorite things she stalked about in the exit speech, she does not want to be a politician. let's listen to that sound for a litt little bit. >> i'm a real person, i'm not a politician, nor do i ever hope or aspire to be a politician. i saw what the government was doing to all of us, to our children and doing to our liberties and so i decided to stand up. >> that was actually her speech from last night. she mentioned not wanting to be a politician again this morning along with a long litany of complaints about obamacare. where do we think michele bachmann's endorsement is going to go and is the obamacare stuff just a lead-in to her returning to the house to try and dismantled funding for the affordable care act? >> i don't think that's any doubt that michele bachmann has been angling for a position in the romney position ever since she thought she wasn't going to win the nomination. ames was a great day for her, but it fell apart for her. she helped romney in some of the deb

does michele bachmann have a shot in iowa. we will talk to alice stewart from the campaign next on "now." we know a place where tossing and turning have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then get lunesta for $0 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the win

we may lose michele bachmann in the next 64 minutes. james, did she or rick perry have any kind of organization here that rick santorum can sort of back him up? >> for michele bachmann, all of her staff left her in late october, as far as my count, she had one big endorsement in the state, a smaller tea party-type leader. but she had a moment there in june where she could take off in the state but she did not make that happen. as far as rick perry, yes, there is a strong organization, of course, for his longtime consultant, dave carney's from the state, and the team put together some impressive names. >> there are people to hire? >> people to get, yes. >> gale, rick perry, there's two ways to go when you lose what you want to do. you can do what newt gingrich is doing, or you can do what rick perry tried to do. you felt as if rick perry was trying to leave with dignity. >> there's no way he's going to do a newt gingrich. he was -- i'm not shooure why h ran for president, except people told him he could. i think he'd be perfectly happy t

the same can be said for michele bachmann. no baggage and christian and keeps fighting and winning votes. >> a group of makers said don't believe everything you heard about residents in their home state. after months in the spotlight, they are setting the record straight about some hawk eye state stereotypes. >> you heard we are a bunch of knee jerk conservative reactionaries. that's why we are democratic in five out of the last six presidential elections. how do you like me now? does d your state legalize gay marriage before us? probably not. the first woman in america to become a lawyer was in iowa in 1869. iowa has the sixth lowest unemployment in the nation and des moines is the richest metro in the country and the second happiest. i guess you can't have it all. going to have the heart attack. i thought i was invincible. i'm on an aspirin regimen now because i never want to feel that helplessness again. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. talk to your doctor, and take care

michele bachmann is leading in one small rural county. newt gingrich leading in one small rural county. the rest of the map, this is romney, santorum and paul. so in a close race, 22% of the vote counted, out here in the middle, you see all those empty counties in the middle, they're very tiny counties. marshall county, 1.3% of the population. story county, there's a college campus in here. ames, iowa. that's important to watch the ron paul vote. 0.4% of the population. as we start to count these votes, these smaller counties critical to rick santorum. that's where you have evangelical tea party voters. rick santorum and ron paul will fight it out here. in the end where are the big population centers that are looking for votes. des moines, polk county, a little more than a quarter of the vote counted so far, ron paul running ahead. if he can keep that lead even though it's a small lead, 28% to 22%, this is where the votes are. that helps you in a close race. dubuque, a little more than 3% of the population. this was romney county four yea

by michele bachmann's dropping out. which of the other candidates will presumably get the most support as a result of her leaving? >> well, speaking from what i saw on the fwround here in iowa in the last couple of weeks, seeing those voters who are torn between two candidates. usually, it was rick santorum and michele bachmann were the two, so i would say senator santorum would have the opportunity to benefit the most. >> i agree. what about you, will? >> absolutely. it's hard to see how they both could coexist with each other. it's a natural fit for bachmann supporters to flow to santorum. >> perry, last night, said he was going back to texas, reassess what was going on. all of us assumed that was the first step in his decision to drop out or suspend his campaign, but today, he says he's on to south carolina. and a lot of folks, matt, think that potentially could help mitt romney in south carolina. by divided up that conservative vote. what do you think? >> well, i think that mirrors what we saw on the ground here in

michele bachmann, now. what's interesting in iowa is you see a couple of the only people who haven't risen i suppose you see here. you see bachmann. you see cain get much higher than he got on the national poll. romney continuing to stay in the 20s. you see gingrich with the surge there. then you see the ron paul surge which obviously you didn't see nationally. mitt romney. then you see mitt romney there. >> then you would see rick santorum. >> rick santorum. so you see paul and santorum here, bachmann, people you don't see nationally you see here in iowa. >> right. and that's because you're seeing a lot of rick santorum in iowa. don't forget, this is sort of a process of elimination here with the ups and downs nationally. also the ups and downs in iowa. but iowa caucusgoers like to meet their candidates. ron paul has a very effective message, which they understand and like. which is small government. he's got a great organization. really, really important. they've seen a lot of michele bachmann, but what t

john huntsman and michele bachmann have joined rick perry. mitt romney and ron paul are on the ballot in virginia. one of seven holding primaries on march sixth. pete williams is live from washington. what progress will they be able to make? >> we will watch and see because this case is moving very rapidly. virginia has the nation's strictest requirement and a candidate has to gather at least 10,000 signatures and 400 have to come from east of the 11 congressional districts and the petitions cannot be circulated by out of state volunteers. only mitt romney and ron paul met that test and lawyers have sued in federal court. he claims that the rules violate his free speech rights and right of association. his lawyers say that under the virginia law, he himself could not circulate petitions for his own candidacy. the judge is scheduled for january 13th, after the state planned to print the ballots january 9th, but they might have to be printed again and since then the lawyers for newt gingrich, michele bachmann and rick santorum said they will se

let's talk about rick perry and michele bachmann. basically, you think they're going to get out at this point? >> reporter: rick perry's sounding more like somebody that was considering dropping out than of the other candidates. he said tonight that he is going to head back to texas, think things over for a couple of days. he really wasn't playing well in new hampshire. south carolina is where he could make one more possible stand. it still is going to be tough for him, though. michele bachmann, she won the straw poll here in iowa in august. she was born here. she made a lot about her iowa roots. this is a very disappointing finish for her in sixth place last night. it's going to be hard for her to recover. here's one important thing. she is continuing on, not dropping out. she told abc news that those tickets to south carolina are booked and paid for, and i guess in this republican race you don't want to be considered wasting money. the voters don't like that. >> senator john mccain plans on endorsing romney a little later today. wh

michele bachmann has gone around the country and embarrassed the state of minnesota. >> she barely won her seat last nig time. >> if she can stay disciplined, joy-ann, i mean, she gets the camera time. she has the camera moxy where she could get out there and really beat somebody up on camera and start the narrative that, you know, mitt's not the guy. >> yeah. i mean, you know what, she was actually pretty good in the last few debates. she actually stepped up her performance, but the problem is, there's so much youtube history on michele bachmann that she does sort of come across as a bit of a joke. i think had she just done the really good debate performances she might be viable. maybe they'd think of her as a vp candidate. right now she's going to fade away. >> running you can't get kicked out of your health care plan as a result of -- >> republicans never seem to mention those things. >> there's something interesting santorum said on this. he actually believes you should be able to discriminate against people based on pre-existing conditions. >> yeah. >> he's on the record saying th

michele bachmann did not do well. lots of questions. lots of fallout. big night for democracy and big night in iowa. >>> also the murder mystery on the queen of england's property. detectives will return today after a woman's bed was found not far from a royal country estate. >> very bizarre. later this half-hour what a nuisance in the sky over a georgia neighborhood. turkey vultures are flocking there and frustrated homeowners want them gone. but the bird are untouchable. wait till you hear why. >> before all that of course to the big news of the morning. fallout from iowa has started. rick perry has gone home to reassess his campaign. i'll talk about that. mitt romney expected to puck up an endorsement today. >> romney need the help based on santorum's sudden surge and win last night. abc's karen travers joins us live from des moines with the very latest. good morning, karen. >> reporter: we have been saying for days this race was going to go down to the wire but nobody could have predicted it would be this much of a nail biter. >> i pledge allegiance

michele bachmann is asking, do you believe in miracles? she says get ready for a big surprise on her part in the iowa tonight. she'll join us along with her kids to tell us why in a "starting point" exclusive. >>> plus, get real. we have not found any skeletons in rick santorum's closets. a lot of sweater vests. like a lot. facebook twit irpicked up on his wardrobe. if you don't believe me, we're going to show you the music video of the sweater vest. not kidding. a very busy two hours. besides michele bachmann and family, newt gingrich and his two daughters joining us. senator rand paul pitching for his father, and members of occupy iowa will be occupying the diner right here. so "starting point" begins right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> a lot of heavy rockmusic this morning. good morning, everybody. you're looking at the waveland cafe. inside is where we are in iowa. the caucuses finally here, first ever the nation's caucuses. this is a horse race it's mitt romney leading by a nose. ron paul trying to mike it a photo fin

whether it's michele bachmann, rick perry, herman cain, newt gingrich, michele bachmann and now rick santorum. 12k3w4r ron paul. >> and ron paul. this's another twist in this race. i think mitt still has to prove that he can exceed a level of can he get past 30% of the vote? >> as a democrat, no offense, as a democrat -- >> no offense taken. >> who do you least want president obama to face? who's the biggest threat? >> that is very hairy -- lot of people will say mitt romney. but you know the challenge for mitt romney is that he so represents the 1%. wall street. so much of what americans are angry and upset about. there's a strain of economic populism in both parties. it's a driving force. it's been helping the president over the last four, five months. he's doing better now. than he's been doing in a long time. he's in a stronger position. >> relatively speaking. let's not go crazy. >> a run for mitt romney and the new hampshire, manchester newspaper did in this its endorsement of gingrich, romney really represents all that people are angry about in america. so, i think, after a ye

the first person we saw it with was michele bachmann. moving forward and what will happen in new hampshire, is jon huntsman going to get a dance here over the next couple of days? >> he needed last night for mitt romney to have a very bad night, finish third, finish fourth and open a spot for huntsman to present himself as a credible alternative to mitt romney. really they're aiming for the same sort of voters, moderate republicans, so-called center right republicans, but romney is not going anywhere. a win, even by eight votes is a win in iowa. and coming to new hampshire, this is his backyard. >> why hasn't huntsman caught on in new hampshire? you would think he's got the profile that new hampshire voters would like. you know, not overly conservative. he's moderate like a lot of voters here define themselves as -- what is it about him that has led everyone else to have a turn except him? >> there is an old saying in advertising and politics, you can have great advertising and great organization and great signs, great buttons, a resume

rick perry 10% and michele bachmann 5%. >> thank you for your help. on to new hampshire. let's get that job den. >> now most of the candidates are heading to new hampshire and they are campaigning ahead of the primary there. the announcement from michele bachmann that may put into question the future of her campaign. >>> demolition day has finally arrived for an old san francisco jail. ktvu claudine wong is outside the jail to tell us why today is the end of an era if a lot of ways. good morning, claudine. >> reporter: good morning, dave. let's give you a look at san francisco county jail number three. it's there in the background. we are standing in front of it here. a new jail system behind it. built in 1934 the conditions first caught sheriff michael eye when he was a young attorney. his campaign promise back in 1979 was to close it. and here we are in 2012 finally seeing that campaign promise fulfilled. >> it has been a more than 15 yearlong journey to get to this point. >> reporter: add five more years to that statemen

michele bachmann dropped out after iowa after her fifth place. >> michele bachmann had one silver lining. >> i must thank my husband of 36 years, marcus bachmann. yesterday when we were out on main street in des moines, he was out buying sunglasses for our dog boomer, while we were all out visiting the many businesses. seriously, look at the face he's making. the only sound you can make when your mouth is shaped that way s is -- oh. which i guess roughly translates to i'm sorry i ruined your campaign with my completely heterosexual devotion to dog accessories. >>> still ahead on "way too early," why your awake tweets and texts next and "morning joe" moments away. [ male announcer ] say goodbye to "ho-hum," and hello to "whoa, yum." use campbell's cream of chicken soup to make easy enchiladas, cheesy chicken & rice, and other chicken dishes that are oh...so...whoa. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank

and what did michele bachmann say when she gave up her quest today? >>> consumer champion. can this brand new man in town help you with your mortgage, your car loan, your credit cards? >>> taxing the kardashians? why some big unions are making kim kardashian the face of the rich who don't pay enough taxes. >>> home intruder. a frightened young mother takes action and sparks a national debate, with one question. >> i've got two guns in my hand. is it okay to shoot him if he comes in this door? >>> healthy living. near little half of americans suffer from neck pain. but is your doctor giving you the wrong remedy? >>> and noah's arctic? it is so cold in florida, they have heat lamps on the fancy birds. even the orangutans are grabbing sweaters. >>> good evening. it was a day filled with aftershocks from that historically close photo finish in iowa. at the top, former governor mitt romney, who won by just eight votes, even though he spent 50 times more money than the second place finisher, senator rick santorum, who went door to door. more on that, coming up. but there was fall

and then fall, congresswoman michele bachmann. the latest des moines register poll has the her at 7%. which, would put her, according to this poll, in last place. six out of six. she joins us now from des moines. good to see you, congresswoman. fresh it. nice to talk to you again. you know it's interesting how john was putting this. if you are a conservative and, a social conservative, that iowa is a must-win state. do you feel that way? if you come in last in iowa, does that make your, rudy giuliani moment? >> well we are looking forward to tomorrow night to see the results. because we have done what no other candidate has done after the last debate, in sioux city, iowa, we got on a bus. we traveled 6,900 miles through all 99 iowa counties. and we saw quite literally thousand of iowans on the spot, flipping from being undecided to voting for me. voting to another candidate to voting for me. the biggest issue in the last debate was the issue whether iran should have a nuclear bomb. ron paul said he had no problem with iran having

we see newt gingrich, the governor rick perry, michele bachmann, jon huntsman. he's technically there even though he didn't campaign really in iowa. he's spending all of his time in new hampshire. presumably he'll come in last. he won't drop out because he's doing all of his campaigning in new hampshire. but remember, this is very early right now. it's sort of coincides, this top tier w the most recent polls we saw, not only our cnn/time poll, the "des moines register" poll, an nbc/marist poll. these are the three individual, the top tier. no matter how you look at these entrance polls, you can think of it as the most recent poll in iowa. because this is a poll really. and it's a little bit more accurate presumably than the other polls because this is a poll that isn't of likely caucusgoers. we know these are real caucusgoers who participated in this poll, this entrance poll as we call it. the top tier will presumably getting more information in the next wave of these respondents, john. but significant with our most recent poll "the des moines register" poll as

michele bachmann never had a rationale for entering the race. who was her constituent is i and what was her rationale for running. she never established that. it didn't surprise me at all. >> earlier, she was the golden child. >> because she's a fresh face, she's a female. she's fairly attractive. those are the -- what was her rationale for running and what distinguished her from the rest of the field. and other than her and rick santorum and rick perry, they were all catering to the same vote. so, she couldn't separate herself from the pack. >> all right. now, how important are the iowa caucuses for the rest of the campaign? >> there is no importance to the iowa caucuses at all because iowa does not represent the cross section of america. so, you get bragging rights from winning iowa but that's about it. after today, you won't even hear the word iowa again for the rest of the presidential cycle. >> the attention now is turning to new hampshire. so, the question is how important will new hampshire be? doesn't this give the candidates kind of an