Opinion: Obama, in Iowa, just said something he might regret

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One of the reasons national politicians have a reputation for speaking so circumspectly and carefully, even murkily, is because events can and often do change in unforeseen ways, leaving that uncareful quote sticking out there in adverse ways.

Yet that didn’t stop Barack Obama this afternoon. There he was alongside the Mississippi River, with Illinois in sight just across the water, at the 80-year-old Lakeside Ballroom in Guttenberg, Iowa, where Guy Lombardo, Lawrence Welk and Herman’s Hermits have performed over the years. Obama was speaking to about 350 onlookers including The Times’ political veteran Mark Z. Barabak. He was wrapping up his remarks and a lengthy Q&A session, urging folks to sign pledge cards to help his campaign and caucus on Jan. 3.

Suddenly, out come these three declarative sentences:

‘You in Iowa have this extraordinary privilege of choosing who the next president of the United States is going to be. Whoever wins this caucus is likely to win the nomination and is likely to win the presidency. What a powerful, profound decision that is for you to make.’

Yikes! That’s like guaranteeing a win the night before the big game or predicting your own demise. Put those words under one of those magnets on your refrigerator door and check it again on the morning of Jan. 4. By then, it’ll make the young presidential wannabe look either prescient -- or doomed.

--Andrew Malcolm