The Iowa caucuses had something for everybody - unfortunately.
For Republicans, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz could claim that initial first victory, that "Big Mo," as then-candidate George W. Bush called it after winning the state in 1980. Businessman Donald Trump could trumpet his second-place finish as something of a wonder, a near-win by an outsider largely funding his own campaign. And Florida Sen. Marco Rubio could point to a strong surge that made his third-place finish nearly a tie for second.
For Democrats, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could say she won the state, though she had only 49.9 percent of statewide delegate equivalents (bringing to mind her husband's two presidential wins with less than 50 percent of the popular vote). And Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders could say he lost by less than one-half of 1 percent of statewide delegate equivalents, the strongest showing for a socialist candidate in a recent presidential race and certainly an indication that Clinton's once assumed breeze to the nomination will be anything but that.
So any hoped for clarity coming out of the Hawkeye State is missing and unlikely to be forthcoming after next week's New Hampshire primary, where Trump and Sanders have huge polling leads.
After that, on Feb. 20, come the South Carolina Republican primary and the Nevada Democratic caucus, which would seem to offer opportunities for Rubio - with the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. - to make inroads to Trump's polling lead there and for Clinton to establish a solid beachhead.
But, in presidential politics, more than a fortnight is a long time. Between now and then, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who dropped out of the race Monday night, could endorse one of his rivals, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who also ended his campaign Monday, and any of the other also-ran GOP candidates, could throw their support to one of the three front-runners.
That makes Super Tuesday, in which Tennessee and 11 other states (including Georgia and Alabama) hold primaries or caucuses, potentially consequential and may make the Volunteer State a popular destination for candidates this month. Among the other states voting that day are Texas, home to Cruz, Vermont, home to Sanders, and Arkansas, former home of Clinton. And by the end of that week, four more states will have primaries or caucuses.
In the meantime, Clinton will have to keep looking over her shoulder for any revelations from the FBI investigation over her use as secretary of state of an unsecured email server, and Cruz will be hoping to follow up his win by finding more friends in Congress - where he is notably unpopular - to back him.
So, thanks, Iowa, for making what already may be one of the most unusual years in presidential politics as clear as mud.