Online today, you'll find a mixed reaction amongst Paulunteers to Thursday's Iowa caucus results. A few Paulunteers seem to regard the 5th place finish as a near 'Harbinger of Doom,' while others view the results with great optimism. Personally, this long-time skeptic falls into the latter camp -- and here's why.

The establishment and their media enablers want us to believe that the nomination is either won or lost in the first few primaries -- but for Ron Paul, this is a myth that holds only as much 'truth' as we grant it. Unlike the other candidates, Dr. Paul's prospects are not contingent upon a small handful of 'key states.'

For example, many pundits believe that Huckabee and Romney had to win Iowa, and that the 'loser' would suffer a near fatal blow. But unlike Paul's competitors, whose support is regionally concentrated, Dr. Paul has a significant following in every state, so he simply needs to perform consistently and strongly through the early rounds. (Note: Some believe Romney suffered irrevocable damage in Iowa since he failed to win despite investing an enormous amount of time and money there.)

For the other candidates, this race may be a sprint -- but for the Paul campaign, it's a marathon.

#2. Available Resources? Advantage Paul

Not only does Dr. Paul have a significant following in every state, his campaign has the resources to compete everywhere for at least the next month or two. As we know, no other candidate has an energized base of volunteer supporters, nor as much cash on hand as the Paul campaign (in fact, most of the other campaigns are cash strapped). And consider this -- the Paul campaign had difficulty finding air time for commercials in Iowa and New Hampshire because the other candidates spent lavishly to saturate the airwaves. In other primary states, securing prime airtime shouldn't be a problem.

#3. Strong Showing despite Unfavorable Circumstances

At this juncture, 10% support in Iowa is pretty good given the context and circumstances. As Bill Anderson points out, Iowa was never promising territory for a Ron Paul victory, despite the optimism of some Paulunteers:

In this environment, Dr. Paul placed just 3% out of third place, and 6% ahead of Benito Giuliani -- a respectable showing by any objective standard. In addition, Dr. Paul received the second most votes-per-campaign appearance in Iowa -- an impressive accomplishment when one considers that most conventional media either ignored, marginalized, or actively undermined the Good Doctor.

#4. The Only Republican with a Real Shot

Many Republicans have yet to wake up to the fact that only Ron Paul can beat either Hillary or Obama. The Democratic nominee will thump any of the Neoclone candidates in the general election, as most voters rightly view their policy prescriptions as a continuation of Bushism (not that the leading Dems are much different).

To win the general election in a two-horse race, a major-party nominee must appeal to independent voters, a demographic with little interest in Republican candidates other than Dr. Paul. In Iowa, Paul captured 30% of the independent voters who caucused, a clear demonstration of his broad appeal for voters across the political spectrum.

Conclusion: It's Up to Us

As I wrote last July, the Paul campaign is built for the long run, and Thursday's caucus was just the first skirmish in what's shaping up to be a prolonged fight for the nomination. In coming months, we can expect a bumpy ride with plenty of ups and downs -- that's the reality of politics.

None of us knows what the future holds, but we can prepare ourselves to take advantage of unexpected opportunities when they arise -- and we can count on 2008 presenting plenty of surprises, both welcome and unwelcome. In these precarious and unpredictable times, an unforeseen event could rapidly tilt the race in favor of the Good Doctor. The question is, will we be ready?

For starters, let's do what we can over the next month to boost Dr. Paul in Washington State. Please check the Meetup calendar for scheduled canvassing events in Vancouver:

http://ronpaul.meetup.com/118/calendar/