Why the Iowa Caucus doesn't mean anything.

With the 2008 elections ready to jump into full swing tomorrow, the majority of the media conglomerates and candidates are trying to paint the Iowa Caucus as the true test of a candidate's viability.

Here is the truth: It's not.

Since it became the 'first in the nation' portion of the Presidential nomination process in 1972, the Iowa caucus has had an absolutely horrible record at picking the eventual Presidential nominee for each party.

In 1972, Iowans picked Edmund Muskie on the Democrat side and the Republicans didn't even bother scheduling an early caucus. Muskie lost the Democratic nomination to famed loser George McGovern.

In 1976, the majority of Iowa's Democrats chose an 'uncommitted slate' (meaning, essentially, that they didn't like anyone enough to give them consensus) over eventual nominee Jimmy Carter.

In hindsight, the whole country would've likely been better off chosing an 'uncommitted slate' over Carter.

In 1984, they finally got one 'right' by picking Walter Mondale but quickly slid back into obscurity by chosing Dick Gephardt over Michael Dukakis in 1988 and Tom Harkin over Bill Clinton in 1992.

In the other years -- 1980, 1996, and 2000, Iowa's Democrats went the 'safe' route by nominating either the incumbent Presidents (Carter and Clinton) or their sitting Vice Presidents (Gore).

2004 marked the first time since ... well, ever, that the Iowa Democrats managed to actually pick a non-incumbent Democrat nominee that eventually went on to win the party's nomination.

And, Iowa's Republicans don't do a whole lot better. For example, in 1980 Iowa's Republicans chose George H.W. Bush over eventual Republican nominee Ronald Reagan amd then, in 1988, they chose both Bob Dole and Pat Robertson over sitting Vice President George H.W. Bush.

In fact, since it began more than 30 years ago, the Iowa Caucus has only successfully picked a candidate from either side of the aisle (that wasn't an incumbent President or a sitting Vice President) that went on to win their party's nomination four times -- with Bob Dole and George W. Bush on the Republican side and Walter Mondal and Al Gore on the Democrat side. And, obviously, only one of those candidates went on to win the actual Presidential election.

So, no matter what the results are tomorrow, don't buy into the 'hype' that the media and the candidates themselves are going to throw at you about who won and who lost and what it really means because, in November, it likely won't mean much.