From PRI Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

The Battle for Iowa. The Hawkeye State at Ground Zero for Campaign 08.

I'm Mark Cooper, sitting in for Warren Only, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

The margins are tight and the drama is building.

The latest polls from Iowa have Obama nosing out Clinton while Mike Huckabee closes in on Mitt Romney.

On to the point, it's all eyes on the Hawkeye State.

Are we really just a month away from deciding the presidential nominees of both parties?

On reporter's notebook later on, Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott has announced he's resigning.

What does it mean for the Republicans?

First, the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

I'm Mark Cooper, sending in for Warren Olney, back with To the Point from PRI.

The acceleration of the presidential primary schedule was supposed to make the traditional early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire, less important. But things haven't quite worked out that way.

Coming up, the Battle Royal for the Hawkeye State. Set for January 3rd, a tad more than a month

from now, that could decide right then and there the nominees of both parties. On reporter's

notebook later on, Senate Republican whip, Trent Lott,

is calling it quits. First, this news update. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is meeting with

President George W. Bush today on the eve of a high-stakes Middle East peace conference that's set

to open tomorrow in Annapolis, Maryland.

At the invitation of the White House, 16 Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia and Syria,

have agreed to sit down and talk with Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

...