And the unanimous winner in the Iowa caucuses is … change! Nearly every major candidate cited "change" as the dominant force in Iowa, and the press followed suit. While change as a concept is politically neutral and entirely inevitable, it is being invoked as a specific set of undefined values, and referred to as if it were a candidate itself. In fact, if you were to replace the word "change" with the name of a lower-tier candidate—say, Dennis Kucinich—you'd get an interesting view of caucus night in Iowa.

The Candidates:

Barrack Obama
(Standing in front of a sign reading: "Kucinich We Can Believe In," with a raucous crowd behind him chanting "We Want Kucinich! We Want Kucinich!")
"You came together as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to say that we are one nation. We are one people. And our time for Kucinich has come."
"We are choosing unity over division and sending a powerful message: That Kucinich is coming to America."

Hillary Clinton
"Today we're sending a clear message—that we are going to have Kucinich and that Kucinich will be a Democratic president in the White House in 2009."
"Together we have presented the case for Kucinich and have made it absolutely clear that America needs a new beginning."

John Edwards
"The one thing that's clear from this result here tonight is that the status quo lost, and Kucinich won."

Mitt Romney
"The message I got out of Iowa is that people said they want Kucinich."

Mike Huckabee
"Tonight, the people of Iowa made a choice, and their choice was clear. Their choice was for a Kucinich."

Dennis Kucinich
"Senator Obama and I have one thing in common: Kucinich."

The Press:

CNN
Obama Wins As Candidate for Kucinich
This one happens to be true

The Hill
Clinton Jumps on 'Kucinich' Bandwagon in New Hampshire

Globe and Mail, Canada
Deep Desire for Kucinich Dominates Iowa Contests

National Ledger, Arizona
Iowa Caucus Results: Kucinich!

New York Times
Call For Kucinich Shakes Up Democratic Field

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