Was the Brownback finish hopeful or hopeless?

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., was upbeat about his third-place finish in Saturday’s Iowa Republican straw poll. “We’re still in it, and I think we’re still in a position to win,” he said Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week.” But other political observers saw the results as a significant setback, given that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came in second while spending less effort and money than Brownback on the GOP fundraiser. “Brownback invested a lot into the straw poll and got little return,” Chris Cillizza wrote on his Washington Post blog. “Finishing third behind Huckabee makes it tough for the Kansas senator to make the argument that he is the most viable social conservative candidate in the field. This is a major setback for Brownback and could well lead to his departure from the race in the near future.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee