Barack Obama has taken to asking voters to make him their second choice candidate - although he jokes they’d be better served if he were their first choice, of course. Why? Well, in order for a candidate to remain viable in the Iowa caucus system, he or she has to have at least 15% support from caucus goers. If a candidate, say a Chris Dodd, doesn’t get that magic percentage, his supporters will have to realign behind another candidate.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters on a conference call this morning that Obama and Edwards, and not Hillary Clinton, will be the two candidates likely to get support from Richardson, Kucinich, Dodd, and Biden supporters. Which could lead to Iowa success.

So Obama was sure to hear out 59-year-old Gene Blanshan, a self-described Biden supporter, at an event in Jefferson, Iowa. Blanshan asked the senator why he should pick Obama over Edwards as his second choice.

Obama spent a few minutes outlining the differences, including where he has consistently stood on issues like NAFTA, No Child Left Behind, and the Iraq war. He added, “The point I am making is in my gut, there is a consistency of who I am fighting for, what I believe in, choices I have made in my life that can give you some assurance of when I get into the White House, I am going to be fighting for you. And I am not going to be different as time goes on.”

Blanshan was immediately swarmed by the press following the event. He told us he asked Edwards the same question - and he made up his mind as to who his number two candidate is.

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At a rally in Keokuk, Iowa, Senator Barack Obama cited “recent polls” showing that if nominated, he would beat each of the top five Republicans running, should they win their party’s nod. Hoping to woo undecided voters in the crowd, he then explained why his two main opponents in Iowa, Senators Hillary Clinton and John Edwards are not as electable. He was sure to qualify the statement by saying that he understands that in the race for Democratic nominee, “We’re all just trying out for quarterback, but after the election, we’re all gonna be on the same team.”

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He made the same arguments in his previous event in Fort Madison, Iowa, but didn’t call his opponents out by name.

Democrats (and perhaps many Republicans) have a disdain for 527 groups’ involvement in politics since the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ad effectively took out John Kerry’s chances in 2004. It’s come to be somewhat of a dirty word to Democrats - and there could be no worse accusation than being affiliated with one. So when Barack Obama accused Edwards of being cozy with one today, it caused a ripple.

At a town hall in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Obama was asked about the differences between himself and Senator Edwards. A perfect set up for the latest Obama hit on John Edwards - “John yesterday said that he didn’t believe in 527s,” Obama said, referring to an Associated Press article. “He said he’s opposed to them - we found out today that there is an outside group spending $750,000, just bought three quarters of a million dollars worth of television time, and the individucal who’s running the group used to be John Edwards’ campaign manager, so you can’t say yesterday you don’t believe in ‘em and today you have three quarters of a million dollars being spent for you. You can’t just talk the talk.” he said.

The campaign quickly emailed a transcript of Obama’s Edwards comments to the traveling press, and later, they distributed the details of the television ad buys purchased by Alliance for a New America, a 527 created by SEIU affiliates. The ads, totaling $769,610, will begin airing in six Iowa television markets the day after Christmas. The Obama campaign does not know what the ads will say, but say their campaign has not been affiliated with a 527 group.

At a retail stop in near-by Pleasantville, Obama ordered a cup of tea and a slice of pumpkin pie and told the press, “One of the things that’s really important to the people of Iowa is that there’s gotta be follow through. We are delivering change; not just talking about it.”

Before the start of Obama’s next event, the Edwards camp had responded with a written statement from John Edwards. “Senator Obama’s attacks seem to increase as momentum for our campaign grows,” it read. Edwards upheld his claim that he is the only candidate in this race who has “never taken a dime of PAC or Washington lobbyist money,” and acknowledged, “As for outside groups, unfortunately, you can’t control them, but let me make it clear - i think money has corrputed our politics and these groups should not be a part of the political process.”

The Obama campaign called on Edwards to to “call on his former advisor to stop this effort.” Edwards did just that, and when asked about it after an event in Winterset, Obama exclaimed, “great.” He explained, “I think not only, since he has such a good relationship with the person who runs it, I suspect that he should be able to get it done.”