I have no way to question the veracity of the people posting on the Dean blog and I truly don't think they are making up those accusations out of thin air. Party politics can seem really unfair to people with no prior experience. Still, I very much doubt that the Kerry camp actually violated caucus rules. I think it's more likely that the people attending were new to the process and may not have fully understood the rules.

There have been attempts in the past to overpower the caucus process, bring in bogus participants from outside the state and so forth (I think Gephardt did this the last time he ran), but caucus leaders were warned of this possibility and given special manatory training in many cases.

I wonder how the recipients of the push-poll phone calls knew they were from the Kerry camp? I doubt that such callers would identify themselves as representing Kerry. Given the way things went in the final weeks of the Iowa campaign, I think it's far more likely that such calls were inspired by the Gephardt camp than by Kerry. Gephardt and Dean both became bilious and bellicose toward each other and both suffered in popularity as a result.

I only have first hand knowledge of my own precinct caucus but, as a member of my county Democtatic Central Committee, I have detailed knowledge of the preparations for the caucuses, the training given, and the people chosen as temporary caucus chairs.

      - Mark