Jodi Kantor went to Iowa and found the Democratic choices simply delicious in Thursday's birds-eye view, "For Democrats, Too [1]Many Good Picks; For Republicans, an Easier Path [1]."
"Instead of the usual voter complaints about choosing among unattractive options, there are meditative conversations about Senator Barack Obama's freshness versus Gov. Bill Richardson's international résumé versus John Edwards's commitment to the underprivileged versus the historic prospect of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's becoming the first female president."
Contrast that with the "sniping" Kantor found among Republicans.
"Some Republicans said they had been watching the recent sniping between Mitt Romney [2] and Mike Huckabee [3], both former governors. But rather than being offended by the negativity, they remained firm in their choices.
"'I didn't appreciate the way Romney was trying to gain back what he feels he's lost,' said Merrill Henderks, who is retired from farming but still does a bit of truck-driving. He was referring to Mr. Romney's once-substantial lead in Iowa, which Mr. Huckabee has erased.
"But Rod Place, who is supporting Mr. Romney, criticized Mr. Huckabee for claiming to have abandoned a negative advertisement about Mr. Romney but showing it to the national news media first. 'I don't think it was a good move on Huck's part,' Mr. Place said.
"Randi Peters, a friend of Mr. Place's who is a Democrat, added, 'Especially for someone who is supposed to be a pastor,' mentioning an earlier advertisement in which Mr. Huckabee had emphasized his Christian values.
"In discussing their choices, Democrats sounded like diners ooohing and ahhing slowly - very slowly - over a menu with too many enticing choices. Lingering after an Edwards rally at Iowa State University [4], three generations of women from the Zaffarano family wavered between Mr. Edwards and Mr. Richardson. Suzanne Zaffarano said the event had drawn her to Mr. Edwards, because she was touched to see Elizabeth Edwards [5], his wife, campaigning despite an incurable case of breast cancer."