Campaign manager Mike DuHaime on the decision to skip the Ames straw poll:

"Some people may interpret this as we're not 100% playing in Iowa. We are 100% playing in Iowa. You will see the Mayor there early and often. You will see us spending a great deal of resources to make sure we win the caucus in Iowa. We respect the process a great deal..."

Congressman Jim Nussle on the significance of the straw poll:

"I happen to believe, in this instance, if you're a second tier candidate the straw poll is significant, because it gives you possibility the ability of getting some attention and being able to demonstrate some momentum. And that's the one thing, at least with Rudy Giuliani, is not necessary. He's been able to demonstrate that already not only in Iowa, but more especially and more importantly, across the entire country...

"So we're very happy with this decision, the fact that we can now focus on the caucuses, the fact they've made a commitment yet again to the Iowa caucuses, and the fact the resources instead of being diverted toward this kind of a sideshow effort, can actually be applied to what is the most important mission here and that's winning and that's showing the kind of momentum toward the nomination that a candidate would need..."

"Remember what this event is. I don't want to take away the significance of the caucus itself. The caucus is really the prize here. That's the effort toward building momentum, that's the victory int he victory column, that's the beginning of the delegate selection process, etc.

The straw poll is a fund raiser. Now it's a lot of fun. It's an exciting event. It's great fun for the 75 to 100 mile radius around Ames for the people who go there. But it is not a demographic cross section of the state or our caucus goers. It's not a scientific poll.

In fact, as many of the reporters on the call who cover both the straw poll and the caucuses know, candidates actually purchase the attendance. And so oftentimes some of these candidates who are a little bit better funded, a little bit better ability to "organize" which is supposed to be the test of all this.

Finally I'd just say the convention wisdom is based I would suggest on a couple of things that are not so conventional, but maybe more selfish.

Certainly, if you're part of the party you want to raise as much money as possible, and making the straw poll significant is to your advantage. So there's a reason why they would do it. Others, candidates, who want to use it as a way of making their own candidacy legitimate, will want to make sure their participation or their position at the straw poll is significant. So I understand why people are trying to make the this significant.

But I've got to add, and I think this is important for Iowa Republicans and all to remember, and that is the caucuses are what is important here. The straw poll actually could, in fact, take away from Iowa's significance if we're not careful. It's not a serious event in the grand scheme of picking the nominee, and at this time in our history with the war on terror and the economic challenges facing our country, we need to have a serious conversation about our nominee and not just have these kind of fund raising straw polls and treating them as somehow significant."