Iowa Caucus a Three Horse Race

After last night's debate, the Iowa caucus is now more up-in-the-air than it was before. Most likely, Republican caucus-goers have never been more confused about who to vote for.

I know this because Ron Paul actually has a legitimate shot of winning the caucus.

RealClearPolitics has Paul trailing Mitt Romney by one point, on average over the past two weeks.

One poll, by PPP, has Paul trailing leader Newt Gingrich by just one point.

This scares me.

Ron Paul is receiving more support in Iowa that true conservatives like Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann.

The last thing the Republican Party, and nation, needs is Ron Paul gaining momentum. He is as dangerous to America as Barack Obama, but in a different way.

Paul's isolationist foreign policy would place Americans in immediate danger.

Congressman Paul truly believes that we should give Iran the benefit of the doubt when it comes to nuclear weapons.

Paul does not believe in preventative defense, killing those who want to kill you first.

Like it or not, Ron Paul will be a factor in the 2012 Republican nomination process.

It took Newt Gingrich thirteen debates to be moved to the center position on the stage, signifying that he is the front-runner.

Like all of the leaders before him, Gingrich had a figurative target on his back.

Michele Bachmann was Gingrich's biggest critic last night, berating him on everything from partial-birth abortion to Gingrich's involvement with Freddie Mac.

For the most part, Gingrich was able to fend off the barbs, clearly stating his positions so as not to leave room for confusion.

Bachmann also played hardball with Ron Paul, questioning his foreign policy with respect to Iran.

Many in the Republican Party are concerned that Gingrich is not a true conservative, given his past positions of global warming and his stance on immigration.

As I've written in the past, there is no perfect candidate. The goal of the primary process is not to find the perfect candidate, because that effort would be futile.

The goal of the primary process is to find the person who is most qualified to be President.

Many people believe that Mitt Romney is that person.

Romney's resume is very impressive, making his mark in both the private and public sector.

My problem with Romney is that his one stretch in elected office was plagued with instances of big government solutions.

Romney can say that he wouldn't impose a government-run health care on the entire country until he's blue in the face; the fact still remains that he believes in governmental solutions to non-governmental problems.

This is a political philosophy issue I have with Romney; I am not questioning his leadership ability, business acumen, or ability to defeat Barack Obama in a debate or an election.

Romney is third from the bottom on my list of favored candidates, beating out only Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul.

The next three weeks could influence the next 4 years of the American society.

The 2012 election will be a turning point in American history. Who we elect next November will determine if we are still a country that believes in individual sovereignty or if the era of American exceptionalism is over and we are now just another country.