Huckabee Wins the Iowa Caucus — Big: A Study In Resource Management

Mike Huckabee won. But more important, he won in the category that counts: He exceeded expectations — he beat the point spread.

And he did it the hard way.

In any military campaign, marketing campaign or political campaign the resources are time, talent and treasure. Seldom is there enough of all three to satisfy every requirement. Usually, a campaign will have two. Seldom three.

(Your Business Blogger is a former marketing guy. My favorite question, “Budget, what budget?” Usually big budgets can fix any short coming.)

The Huckabee campaign didn’t have the treasure. It had the same time as the other candidates.

The only variable that Huckabee had was talent. Oddly, that was enough.

Chip Saltsman, the campaign manager said, “We play to Huckabee’s strengths.” And he won.

The Iowa Caucus made history: It proved a candidate could win on his record; on issues. Without big money. Without the elite media. With out the elite conservative stalwarts. And, sadly, I guess, without Rush Limbaugh…

Thank you (foot)notes:

Charmaine emailed from New Hampshire at 3:22am,

Hillary’s plane and edwards’ plane were across the tarmac. It is unbelievably cold

Caution: Gloating Follows. Clinton and Edwards got there early. They may have had less to celebrate than the First Place Winners.

Congratulations to First Place Iowa Winner for the Dems Obama.

Your Business Blogger is a-packing up the Penta-Posse to work the phone banks in New Hampshire. A mere 22 hour drive from Des Moines. Reporters would give me horrified stares when I told them I was driving instead of flying. “What do you think this is?” I asked, “The Romney campaign…?”

OK, so I didn’t say that. But there are some things that money can buy. Like an additional 707. (We brought a lot of coats.)

We would be loading up pictures, but we lost all the cabling and adaptors, and the batteries, and the camera.

But we didn’t lose any children.

Bryon York, the National Review White House Correspondent, has more analysis — with children. See, Inside Huckabee’s Victory, How the impoverished governor from nowhere beat the mighty Romney machine.

Alert Readers will remember that the National Review has endorsed Mitt Romney. Your Business Blogger still subscribes to NR. And so should you. (Unpaid endorsement.)

The Dude on set

The Dude on set

The Dude on set