US News & World Report comments on the sudden Republican migration to Iowa, and reports on why this shit is happening before the midterm elections are even over:

These aren’t introductory tours. They’ve all been there before. But as the calendar turns toward the fall midterms, the lot of contenders knows the time to grab the attention of the most engaged activists and eager volunteers is shrinking fast.

In order to pull the trigger on a bid in early 2015, these hopefuls need to lock down organizational assistance by the end of 2014. The artificial deadline to form a skeleton team looms only a few months away.

The list of Republicans who've headed to Iowa recently is not particularly surprising: Bobby Jindal, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Scott Walker, and Ted Cruz. What is surprising is the complete lack of Jeb Bush on that list. Does Bush believe he can swan in as a frontrunner when the time comes? Or is he not running?

Also surprising? The candidate who has spent the most time in Iowa over the last year. It's not Rick Santorum, who basically lived in Iowa for the year before the 2012 elections. It's Ted Cruz. And the candidates who are spending the most time in Iowa this month? Rick Perry and Rand Paul. Like it or not, the clown car is warming up.