Republicans Prepare For Their Goofy Iowa Straw Poll And It Will Be Over-Covered

There's nothing else like it in American politics Saturday's straw poll over in Iowa, our good neighboring state to the southwest.

There, sixteen months before the presidential election, Republicans come to the centrally-located city of Ames and 'vote' for their favorite among the GOP presidential candidates who have paid to take part.

Yes, that's right: candidates willing to pony up big bucks to the GOP can welcome participants and gather 'votes' on the events' grounds, which have been subdivided .

The choicest locations have been awarded to the highest bidding candidates.

So Ron Paul, willing to pay $31,000, gets the spot equivalent at the Mall near the fountain, usually occupied by an Abercrombie& Fitch. The less a campaign agreed to pay, the more likely it is that their spot is off the beaten path - - you know, like where they cluster the mall kiosks selling two-for-one sunglasses and knock-off watches.

Some candidates are on the 'ballot,' like Romney, but have not paid to reserve campaign space there. Other potential candidates like Palin and Perry, of Texas, haven't declared and are not on the ballot. Maybe you can write in your name, if you're a Hawkeye.

So the spectacle is part 'balloting' and part fundraising by the Party. And it's also a test of the campaigns' ability to turn out Iowa voters: the private transportation sector in Iowa is always a big winner because the campaigns bus in supporters.

Less so a test of who will eventually win the Presidential nomination. Pat Robertson won it in 1987: John McCain ignored it in 2007.

Oh: And Fox News is co-sponsoring a debate there tonight.

'nuf said.