Edwards, Obama, Clark, Other/No Freakin' Clue

With nearly twenty-five thousand unique respondents in the monthly straw poll at Daily Kos, that's the order of finish. In a head-to-head face off, John Edwards bests Barack Obama 51-42% with 5% picking neither (15.5 thousand votes).

Dennis Kucinich is favored slightly over Hillary Clinton, both with about 4% of the tally. General Clark will probably get a bump in this poll next month when he finally announces.

In traditional polling in Iowa, Clinton leads Edwards and Obama 35/18/14 with Gov. Vilsack running fifth in his home state, behind "undecided" at 13%. ARG has the GOP race Giuliani, McCain, Gingrich 27/22/16 with 15% undecided, Romney in fifth at 11%. And in the Granite State, it's currently Hillary 35, Obama 21, Edwards 16, Undecided 14. Al Gore is fifth with 8%.

This is the only time of the election cycle I find polling really interesting, because its one-use-only effect (similar to that of toilet paper or a certain Supreme Court decision) is even more pronounced. It's really like handicapping a horse race within the first fifteen seconds or so, about enough time for them to reach the first turn. Which is to say it's kind of ridiculous (but still fun).

And while the Republican candidates have begun using Houston and Texas as their ATM early, the Democratic candidates are staying away in droves. Except for Kucinich, who will be in San Antonio next month as the guest of the Progressive Populist Caucus, the Progressive Democrats of America, and the Progressive Action Alliance.

Who do you favor at this early stage of the game?

Update (2/9) The candidates tracked back since July '05.