David Yepsen says Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) may not want the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination to start in Iowa. "Reason? He might run for president himself in 2008. Instead of being a springboard for the hometown boy, Iowa's caucuses could be a deathtrap."
"Here's how it works: The conventional wisdom is that if Vilsack ran for president in 2008, he would be an early front-runner in Iowa because it is his home state. Everyone would 'expect' him to do well and even win big."
"As is often the case, he could be victimized by that expectations game... if he lost, or just won a narrow victory, it would be seen as a huge political defeat."