When most of the country has no idea or doesn't care that you are running, I guess you grab on with both hands to any event, however immaterial, that provides an opportunity to elevate your candidacy.  Such is the case with the upcoming Ames straw poll, which in former years was seen as a respectable indicator of a conservative candidate's organizational strength and a platform for one to emerge as the front-runner. However, this time around, top contenders Giuliani and McCain decided not to participate, and this has left Romney the favorite by a large margin thus eliminating the real competition factor, which ostensibly renders the event all but moot. But don't tell this to Mike Huckabee, Tommy Thompson, Sam Brownback and the other lesser-known conservative candidates. They are desperate to use the Ames straw poll to gain the kind of momentum that will sling shot their campaigns into the category of serious hopefuls- unlikely. Fortunately, the rest of us can expect to witness an entertaining spectacle of conservative political theatre with media coverage that focuses on the quality of food served and the B and C list performers that were hired; stay tuned!