Marc Ambinder has the news that Mike Huckabee is essentially moving into Iowa for the next two months.

It's a good strategy, with a twist though. Yes, according to the latest polls, Huckabee has apparently moved into second in Iowa -- or close to it. But the truth is, as perceptions go, he's come on too fast and too publicly -- not that one can do it in any other fashion the way politics is now obsessively covered. That means however, that Huckabee is either going to have to win Iowa to get the bounce he needs going into New Hampshire or he's finished. With little or no money, it's going to be hard for Huckabee to compete in the mega-states under any circumstances, beginning with Michigan, Florida, and on into February 5th. He now needs an Iowa win to bail him out (though a close second would still probably damage Romney heading into New Hampshire -- the best possible outcome for the rest of the field.)

That means that for all intents and purposes, Iowa now looks like it is in the process of getting reduced to a Huckabee vs. Romney contest, with the winner getting the pole position to become the alternative to Giuliani or McCain. Someone may try to sneak into the state (but again, how do you do that in the current environment?), but the better strategy now might be for the others simply to write it off and head elsewhere. If all Romney does is beat Huckabee in Iowa, what kind of bounce will he get out of that?

To read Steven Stark's complete "Presidential Tote Board" blog, go to www.thephoenix.com/toteboard/