For John McCain, Is Third Place Good Enough?

MANCHESTER, N.H., Jan. 1, 2008— -- By the peculiar calculus of election politics and expectations gamesmanship, a second-place finish in the Republican Iowa caucus will probably be seen as a sign of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's vulnerability, or that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's candidacy is faltering.

But if Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., were to finish third in Iowa, it would likely be cast as a kind of "victory."

After all, Romney has invested enormous amounts of money and time in Iowa. He held a commanding lead in the polls there for months.

Huckabee came out of nowhere, but was considered the front-runner only days ago.

For either man, coming in second would be disappointing. But McCain has been mired in the single digits in Iowa polls for months, running a distant fourth or fifth in most surveys. He has barely campaigned there over the past two months, and would probably be ecstatic to wind up third.

Unable to move his numbers, despite campaigning in Iowa throughout the summer and fall, McCain turned his attention to New Hampshire, which holds its primary five days after Iowa votes. It appears to have paid off.

His poll results in the Granite State are on the rise, and he is closing ground on Romney, who once held a comfortable lead.

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Now, there are even some indications the so-called McSurge in New Hampshire may be leaking over into Iowa.

According to the new Des Moines Register poll, McCain is now third with 13 percent. And Huckabee, with 31 percent and Romney, with 28 percent — a statistical tie. (A CNN poll put McCain in fourth behind former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn.)

Given McCain's previously dismal numbers, third place would likely attract more media attention, with the interpretation by many political analysts that he had done 'surprisingly well,' and would generate momentum going into New Hampshire.

Even better for McCain would be if Huckabee beats Romney.

Campaigning on Tuesday in New Hampshire, McCain said, "We've always felt that whenever there were polls that didn't show us doing well, we'd totally disregard them and trash them. And there are obviously some recent polls that show that we are moving, showing good progress."