Endorsements Galore!

1. Rep. Steve King, (R-IA), endorses Fred Dalton Thompson (pace Bob Kerrey, we're using middle names today). King is one of those conservative politicians who drives the more established media crazy with his gut-generated utterances. He is very well respected in Western Iowa, however, and his endorsement provides critical validation of Thompson's conservativism.

WTF? Mitt Romney's team gathered at the back of the room, expecting his endorsement. But at the last moment, King said he had chosen Thompson.

Good for Thompson, who is well on his way to a third place finish in Iowa, and horrible, horrible news for Mitt Romney, who needed a dose of good news in Iowa, and who apparently assumed he would get this nomination.

2. Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) endorses Barack Obama. This one wasn't a surprise, given Loebsack's politics and his congressional district's affinity for Mr. Obama. "Obama is energizing, organizing, and mobilizing ordinary Americans to get involved in their democracy in a way I haven't seen in a long time," Loebsack says.