SNEAK PEEK: Between Hope and History

January 7, 2008— -- 1 Day Until the New Hampshire Primary

The New Hampshire race drew to a tearful close on Monday.

Answering a question about the rigors of running for president, Hillary Clinton, genuinely choked up, seemed to realize the potential of the moment, and then made her case against Barack Obama.

"You know, some of us put ourselves out there and do this against some pretty difficult odds, and we do it, each one of us, because we care about our country," said Clinton. "But some of us are right and some of us are wrong, some of us are ready and some of us are not, some of us know what we will do on day one and some of us haven't thought that through enough."

Clinton's tear-filled eyes are sure to spark comparisons to former Maine Sen. Ed Muskie (D).

According to political folklore, Muskie's White House bid faltered when he cried in the snow.

While the Muskie "tears" were actually melting snow, the former Maine Senator is worth remembering going into Tuesday for another reason: his 1972 run is the last -- and only -- time that a presidential candidate of either party has won Iowa and New Hampshire without becoming his party's nominee.

It's this history that Clinton and Edwards are up against when New Hampshire votes on Tuesday.

As always, the first votes will be cast at midnight in Dixville Notch, a tiny town in the North Country which only has 16 eligible voters. Hoping to grab some of the spotlight, Hart's Location (29 eligible voters) will also cast votes at midnight.

As for the rest of New Hampshire, the state does not have uniform statewide polling hours.

Polls begin to open at 6:00 am ET and close no later than 8:00 pm ET. (Most of the state's polls close at 7:00 pm ET but there are 22 towns and one large city, Nashua, where polls remain open until 8:00 pm ET).

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney sought to downplay expectations on Monday.

Asked where else he can win if he does not win in New Hampshire, a state he often calls a second home, the well-heeled Romney reminded reporters that the Granite State is not the only state where he owns a second home.

"It is a second home, along with Utah, I have a second home there as well, and you know there are a lot of ways to continue winning across this country," said Romney.

Romney is coming off a boffo Fox News debate performance and he is hoping that Obama will attract so many independents to the Democratic race that John McCain can be defeated with Republican regulars who agree with him on taxes and immigration.

But it will be tough for Romney to once again pass off a second-place finish as a victory. Just like in Iowa, Romney has outspent all of his rivals combined on New Hampshire television ads. LINK