10 Lessons of Hillary Clinton's Iowa Trip

Jan. 27, 2007 — -- What Hillary Clinton's weekend trip to Iowa revealed about presidential politics and that particular state:

1. At this point, Hillary Clinton is no ordinary candidate for president: Her visit involved substantial Secret Service protection; a huge entourage; vast crowds; ticketed events; and local, national, and international media attention.

2. Clinton's staff seems to understand that political reporters are happier (and perhaps more apt to write favorable stories) when they are well-fed. Studding the corn in the press filing center with meat was a nice touch.

3. Speaking of food: Centro, the downtown Des Moines Italian restaurant that became the It place to gather during the 2004 campaign, looks like it is still the premier venue to see top campaign strategists, famous political reporters, and even candidates mingle and dine; it's the Da Silvano/Ivy of the Midwest.

4. Democratic candidates are going to grow even more frustrated by the amount of attention Clinton will receive in the upcoming months.

5. Clinton's campaign staffers HEART their BlackBerries.

6. Clinton intends to address directly the history-making aspect of her bid to become the first female president. In the same manner, it appears, she will tackle health care, the subject that caused her intense political trouble in 1993 and 1994.

7. Clinton will precisely negotiate how to explain the role her husband will play in the campaign. Same thing with Iraq.