Candidates Map TV Strategy

Greenhouse says she did not threaten to walk out but did complain that she felt "blindsided" by the lack of notification, having failed to receive an e-mail from the group the previous night about C-SPAN's plans.

Calling the flap "ridiculous," Greenhouse says: "I expressed my surprise and displeasure at having agreed to do one thing and being presented with something else." For the record, she has appeared on C-SPAN 51 times.

All right, you're dying to know how the straw-man poll is playing, aren't you?

The Chicago Tribune takes it very seriously: "Displaying the breadth and wealth of his campaign's organizing skills, Mitt Romney won Iowa's Republican presidential straw poll Saturday, giving him a needed bump to compete on the national stage while forcing others to consider whether to go forward."

It was Romney 32 percent, Mike Huckabee 18 percent and Sam Brownback 15 percent. But keep in mind: only 14,000 votes were cast.

NYT: "For all the hoopla and hype -- there were news crews here from around the globe -- the political significance of this event was questionable. Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York, like Mr. McCain, said he would not compete in the poll, citing the early advantage that Mr. Romney had built.

"In addition, this was not exactly a textbook case of American democracy in action. It cost $35 to cast a vote, and most of the campaigns picked up the cost of the voting tickets. Mr. Romney dispatched a fleet of buses to bring in his supporters.

"Still, the victory was a welcome development for Mr. Romney given the huge resources -- his campaign would not say how much -- it used as it sought to replicate the strategy that won George W. Bush the nomination in 1999."

LAT: "Opponents had tried to raise expectations for Romney to the 40% level, which he'd be unlikely to meet. The anticipated win set back the former governor a lot financially; each ballot cost $35 per person plus more than 100 chartered buses to ferry supporters from around the state. He's also invested in months of TV and radio advertising, personnel and logistics.

"But the convincing victory, with nearly twice the votes of the second-place finisher, may well be worth the investment if in coming days it fuels more free media attention and a growing awareness of his candidacy elsewhere, and boosts his name recognition and ranking in national polls."

Get it? We the media say it's important because it may bring Romney more . . . free media.

Boston Globe: "Huckabee's performance was a disappointment for Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, who had hoped to become the conservative Republicans would consolidate behind. Brownback finished in third place, with 15.3 percent of the vote."