Kent Ninomiya - Barack Obama wins a convincing victory in the Iowa caucuses squashing his closest rival Hillary Clinton down to third behind John Edwards. So how did he do it? No Obama supporter has a higher profile than Oprah Winfrey. Oprah openly endorses Obama giving him valuable air time on her uber popular show. Considering Oprah can make a best seller out of any book she says she read, it's safe to assume she has the potential to make a president out of a guy she says voted for. It demonstrates the unprecedented power wielded by this media Goliath. Oprah started out as a news reporter, moved on to local talk show host, then syndicated goddess. If Obama wins the white house she can add "kingmaker" to the list. Is there any way to quantify the "Oprah factor?" I'm not sure, but there is little doubt that Oprah's support of Obama helped his numbers in Iowa. Let's see what she can do for him in New Hampshire. I will be curious to find out whether there is a direct correlation between Obama appearances on Oprah and his poll numbers. Kent Ninomiya