Political commentator Eleanor Clift's Wednesday lecture at St. Ambrose University is titled "America at a Crossroads - Politics or Partisanship," but many will likely be more interested in inside baseball, particularly considering the unusual uncertainty surrounding the Democratic party's nomination for president.

Does it matter which presidential candidates win the Iowa caucuses on January 3?

With Representative Jim Nussle not seeking re-election and running for Iowa governor, Iowa's First Disrict seat in Congress became one of the country's most-watched races.

But with so much attention and money lavished on the race for its national political importance - control of the House of the Representatives could be decided here - there's been much less focus on the candidates and their views.

The Reader recently interviewed Democrat Bruce Braley (an attorney from Waterloo) and Republican Mike Whalen (founder, president, and CEO of Moline-based Heart of America Restaurants & Inns) in five subject areas. The audio from those interviews is available at (http://www.qcspan.com), along with an interview with Pirate candidate James Hill. Independent candidate Albert W. Schoeman of Waterloo is also running.

The race for Congress in Iowa's First District is already bordering on the ridiculous - with the national Republican party trying to tag Bruce Braley as a Communist, for instance - so why not throw a pirate into the mix?