It’s less than three hours until caucus time in Iowa as I write, and perhaps it’s worth taking a look back at the 2008 Iowa Republican caucus results to get a sense of the field on which the candidates will play. I’ll make some random points.

Turnout. Just 119,000 of 3 million Iowans participated in the 2008 Republican caucuses—a turnout far below the 239,000 of 1.3 million New Hampshire residents who voted in that state’s primary five days later. I’ve seen some news accounts which describe the Iowa caucus electorate as predominantly rural, but that’s not really true. In 2008, 35% of the caucus votes—41,000 out of 119,000—were cast in Des Moines’s Polk County and the eight counties surrounding it. Or, to put it in political reporters’ terms, within an hour’s drive of the Des Moines Marriott and the 801 Chophouse.