Early returns and polling data last night suggested that Ron Paul might win the Iowa caucuses, and it was interesting to watch the media response. Chris Matthews, for instance, spoke of Paul’s support from people in uniform and then launched an attack on the neoconservatives for their mad program of war. (Thus serving my theory that Paul’s success gives center-left Dems political capital to speak out in the mainstream.)

And on CNN, Dana Bash, at Paul hq, interviewed a corporal in uniform who is about to do another tour of Afghanistan.

Jesse Thorsen: “I’m really excited about a lot of his ideas, especially when it comes to bringing the soldiers home. I’ve been serving for ten years now and all ten years of those have been during wartime. I’d like to see a little peace-time army.”

Bash asked about the claim by opponents that Ron Paul’s foreign policy ideas are “very dangerous” for this country. Thorsen was eloquent:

“Well I think it would be even more dangerous to start nitpicking wars with other countries. Someone like Iran… Israel’s more than capable–“

At this point, the video feed stuttered and then went dead. Wolf Blitzer said that they would catch up with Thorsen later. If CNN did do so, I didn’t see it. Though Anderson Cooper later joked that it was a conspiracy. Apparently some Paul supporters did not think this was a joke. (To be clear, I thought this was a technical glitch.) More at mediate. Including controversy over a man in uniform expressing political views.