Opinion : Caucus tonight: Calls, commercials are almost over

The caller ID showed a number with a Washington, D.C. area code (202). I answered it, just to see which candidate -- or which friend of a candidate claiming to be an independent voice concerned only for the good of America -- was calling this time.

This particular call was from an organization with a web site that listed issues important to its members, and where the candidate stood on those particular issues.

Usually we don't answer calls from numbers we don't recognize, but this week I have made a few exceptions just to see what people are telling, or asking Iowans.

Lots of people, especially those who have ever signed up at any Republican event, have been receiving calls every day. And the commercials: Every channel, every hour.

But tonight, it ends.

Tomorrow the media members will head to New Hampshire, and the candidates will forget about Iowa until the fall.

This is our last day in the spotlight until the next presidential election. That means we won't see any 2016 candidate until at least 2013.

I am still pondering my feelngs about this caucus season, and whether or not Iowa will have a big impact like it did in 2008, or whether it will be more like most years, when the winners included Tom Harkin, Mike Huckaby, Robert Dole, or many others who never made it to the White House.

Whatever party you feel is "yours," I encourage you to attend a caucus tonight. While the process is not perfect (and the campaigns can be quite annoying at times), this is our opportunity to show the world why Iowa is so important, and why people should spend more time here in non-presidential election years.