You mention in passing "four meaningful early primaries," and one of those is Nevada. And while Iowa's voters won't have the law on their side to enable them to caucus, Nevada's casinos have gone out of their way to create eight at-large precincts for casino night-shift workers - some of who are unionized, some of whom are not - and the caucus organizers (I talked to the woman who heads the whole state caucus organization for Nevada's Secretary of State) are damned proud if it. Given the nature of caucuses and Nevada, those numbers are going to be highly significant. Want to bet the casinos are offering those votes - which the caucus-goers don't get to cast in private - to the candidate that is promising them special support for legalized gambling? One of the worst backroom deals in history is likely unfolding right now, as the early state races grow tighter and tighter and every early state victory becomes more desperately significant.

Just on instinct, I'm guessing that John Edwards may be their guy, but most Democrats might go for a play like that. Then again, they may like the Intrade odds on Hillary, which are overwhelming and have never been wrong. We'll see. But my message to your writer is to look again and more carefully at the setup of the Nevada caucuses. I questioned its organizers at length about it when they met with the press the afternoon of the CNN Las Vegas GOP debate on November 16.

Joe Shea

Editor-in-Chief

The American Reporter

www,american-reporter.com