'Tis the Season ...

By David Von Drehle

All the equipment that photographers haul around at news events--it can be a problem. When presidential candidate Mitt Romney invited supporters and journalists to the Johnston, Iowa, home of John and Sheryl Dutcher the other day, the room was so packed that the ornaments on the Dutchers' Christmas tree were at risk from swinging cameras.

If any Murano baubles were broken, the Dutchers should sue Iowa officials. By scheduling caucuses for Jan. 3, they managed to stuff presidential politics into the holidays. The ugly consequence: on snowy lawns, placards touting candidates compete with colored lights and wire reindeer. On television and radio, desperate pols vie with desperate retailers for the attentions of holiday audiences. Between the office party, the school pageant and the search for the elusive Wii, who has time for a meet-and-greet with one candidate? And who can volunteer to stuff envelopes at campaign headquarters when there are dozens of cards waiting to be finished off--O.K., started--at home?

Candidates promised to shut off their robo-dialers on Christmas to give households a few hours of heavenly peace. Beyond that, however, the few days left before the caucuses are too precious to go unexploited. Democrat Christopher Dodd is heralding his "12 Days of Results" tour, while Republican Mike Huckabee virtually wraps himself in swaddling clothes in an ad in which he reflects on "the birth of Christ," with a perfectly lighted set of shelves forming a glowing Cross over his shoulder.

That was too much for the wild card Republican libertarian Ron Paul, who warned of "fascism ... carrying a Cross." (Huckabee's reply: Sometimes a bookshelf is just a bookshelf.) But then, the line between sacred and secular has always been blurry at this time of year--check out all the White House Christmas trees. The Iowa situation is regrettable because it's so arbitrary and unnecessary. There's no good reason for the campaigns to be crammed into the week reserved for family and faith. It's just the sad result of jealous competition among states over the chance to vote first. Which is, in a word, humbug.