You would think that John McCain would realize Iowa is a lost cause for him. George Bush won the state by about 10,000 votes (out of 1.5 million cast) in 2004, when registered Republicans slightly outnumbered Democrats. Now Iowa has 100,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.

Moreover, five separate polls in the past month have shown Barack Obama above the 50 percent mark in Iowa and leading McCain by at least 10 points. Only the Big Ten Battleground poll showed this state tied.

I figured that the recent McCain/Palin rally in Cedar Rapids was the last Iowans would see of the Republican ticket this year.

However, McCain is still running television ads in Iowa, and to my surprise, McCain visited Des Moines yesterday. Several Republicans quoted in this story by the Associated Press insist that the race is still close enough for McCain to win Iowa. I have my doubts, but if he wants to waste time and money here, that’s fine by me.

While McCain was in Des Moines, he met with the Register’s editorial board. Click here to watch video from that interview.

The same day, Governor Chet Culver held a press conference in Des Moines to chastise McCain for opposing ethanol subsidies. A press release from Barack Obama’s campaign is after the jump.

I believe that McCain’s opposition to ethanol subsidies is the main reason he underperforms in rural Iowa (along with the fact that he skipped the caucuses in 2000 and 2008).

I would still like to hear from Bleeding Heartland readers regarding McCain’s field offices in Iowa. Are they still up and running in your area? Do they seem empty or focused on other Republican candidates? The McCain office in Iowa City was reportedly abandoned not long ago. Please post a comment in this thread, or e-mail me at desmoinesdem AT yahoo.com.

GOVERNOR CULVER DISAPPOINTED AT SENATOR MCCAIN’S CONTINUED ATTACKS ON ETHANOL

Des Moines, Iowa – Below is a statement and a link to the audio of Governor Chet Culver’s response to Senator John McCain’s continued attacks on ethanol.  Today, once again during his roundtable, Senator McCain said, “I don’t support subsidies for ethanol.”

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR CHET CULVER:

“Today I was very disappointed to learn that once again Senator McCain was very clear about his opposition to subsidizing ethanol and I want to make sure that all Iowans know how critically important biofuels are to the state of Iowa, how critically important it is that the next president of the United States support our ethanol industry. This is not only a great thing for our farmers, for our ethanol producers, for those investors that have invested in those plants. But it’s a great thing for the state in terms of job creation.  I think the one thing that Senator McCain is missing in terms of his opposition to supporting ethanol and ethanol subsidies, is the impact that this has in terms of job creation.

“It’s not too late for John McCain to change his opposition to ethanol, I think if he were really putting ‘country first’ and he was serious about cutting free from our dependence on foreign oil, he wouldn’t oppose supporting ethanol. I just want to make sure all Iowans know how out of step he is with issues that matter so much to the State of Iowa.”