Admittedly, polling in Iowa this year is very tough. And our poll is the only one we've seen that shows Edwards even close to Obama and Clinton. But when someone like Iowa's top political writer, David Yepsen, writes that he believes Edwards might pull off a shocking victory there, it's tough not to believe that the poll is, at minimum, a sign that Edwards is more of a factor in Iowa than was believed just a week ago.

What would it mean to a potential GOP nominee if Edwards actually won the Democratic presidential nomination?

It might help the Republican nominee's chances. Edwards is by far the most liberal of the three major Democratic candidates. His passionate leftist positions might make Huckabee or Mitt Romney appear to be the moderate in the race. And Giuliani would be in safe territory with both conservatives and moderates were he to face Edwards.

Remember, a chief knock against Romney is that he's too plastic, too fake. But by contrast with Edwards, Romney looks like a model of sincerity.

If the rap on Huckabee is that his views are too extreme, Edwards' views would make him seem like a centrist.

And if the youthful-looking and handsome Edwards matches up against Giuliani, the former New York City mayor would suddenly look like his opponent's wise and experienced father.

In other words, a nominated Edwards could give the GOP a shot at keeping the White House.

If Clinton survives all of her baggage and all the potential bad news from early caucuses and primaries, and goes on to win the Democratic nomination, it's my guess that she would defeat any of the major GOP candidates.

If Obama wins the Democratic nomination, all bets are off as to one general election outcome or the other.

But if it's Edwards, and the GOP can throw in a little bit of luck, they might survive George W. Bush and cling to the presidency for another four years.