Dean's recent slide in the polls will end up being a good thing for him.

[milkyway]

The most important thing in Iowa and New Hampshire is not the polls, nor the actual voting. Unfortunately, it's the media perception of the voting. His poll numbers were too high for too long. If they had stayed that way, he had nowhere to go but down in the actual voting. The media then would have droned on about his disappointing showing, even if he had won by a solid margin. But now if he wins even by a small margin in Iowa, it will be viewed as a positive by the media. He will be the Comeback Kid.

Also, Dean seems to campaign much better as the underdog. Once it became clear that he was the frontrunner for the nomination, he's struggled (thanks in large part to the RNC-led media). He plays offense much better than defense. If he does win the nomination, he will again be the underdog against Bush, and will do what he does best--go right after him.