Iowans passionate about politics ahead of caucus

TOLEDO, Iowa (Reuters) - One Iowa woman baked cookies emblazoned with John Edwards' likeness and passed them out at parties, while
another sculpted Barack Obama's head out of butter to display on caucus night. Less than a week to go before the January 3 Iowa caucuses,
scores more in this snow-covered farm state are knocking on doors, making endless phone calls and using business meetings and family
dinners to try to build support for their preferred presidential candidate. Many Americans in the Midwest shun political debate among friends
and family.

But in Iowa, where U.S. voters are the first to weigh in on who should be the Democratic and Republican nominees for the November 4, 2008,
presidential election, passionate partisanship has become a part of daily life. Sydni Grauberger has volunteered to help round up votes in
Melbourne for Democratic Sen. Obama of Illinois, who is trying to become the first black president. She said she has lobbied about 200 people
so far, knocking on doors and making persistent phone calls. Sometimes the efforts aren't welcome -- a longtime family friend hung up on
her last week. Still, Grauberger, who waved a red "Stand for Change" sign at an Obama rally in Marshalltown on Thursday, is undeterred.

"This is a major important thing, to get out there and make your voice heard," she said.

Norma Lyon, a 78-year-old farm wife from Toledo, so likes Obama that she has sculpted a likeness of his head out of 23 pounds (10 kg) of
butter and plans to take it with her to caucus....Kathy Davis, 60, of Ames, also is still undecided. But like many Iowans, she said, she relishes
the opportunity to weigh in on presidential politics.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she said. "We are the luckiest people in the country."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071228/us_nm/usa_politics_voters_dc