Iowa Keeps Candidates Awake at Night

Fatigue has officially taken hold in Iowa, and not just for voters. “I won’t remember Iowans,” a sleep-deprived Mitt Romney said recently (he meant “I’ll never forget”), while Mike Huckabee offered “apologies” over Benazir Bhutto’s death (he’s not a suspect), and Hillary Clinton trumpeted supporters "literally freezing to death" (no fatalities reported). “When a person is fatigued, they will make a mistake,” reasons John McCain.

McCain himself tries to get at least five hours each night, which is a lot by campaign trail standards, but he says others “think you have to brutalize yourself to show how well you are doing.” Huckabee admits he could use more shuteye, while Barack Obama likes to joke that his Christmas gift was eight hours of sleep. (More Election 2008 stories.)