Tomorrow is an important day for the Republican candidates.  Democrats, the experts say, have decided already:  Obama is Iowa's choice.

Fox news reports Governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are in a dead heat.  Columnist Robert Novak predicts Romney (and Obama) win Iowa, and Hillary comes in third:

Iowa voters tomorrow night will go to their local precinct caucuses to cast their lot with a presidential candidate. The winner is hardly guaranteed his party's nomination -- in fact, it's possible that neither Iowa winner will come out as the favorite for the nomination -- but the caucuses will certainly be the end of the road for some candidates.

Here are our analyses of the races as they stand now and the most likely outcomes:

Republicans: This is a two-way contest between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The battle for third place is among former Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.), Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), and Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.). Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is not even spending this week in Iowa. Instead, he is campaigning in New Hampshire.

I'm siding with Novak on the Romney prediction, but not because of the numbers, though they are beginning to lean that way.  I'm predicting, hoping, and--yes--even praying, Iowans vote for Romney not because of what Romney has compared to Huckabee, but what he doesn't:  A Jesusy persona that advocates taking money that he didn't earn, and spending it on what he doesn't need to buy.

Not personal, just capitolism.  Just conservatism, as Rush Limbaugh said on the air today--and I paraphrase:  "Conservativsm is making government smaller, not raising taxes."