In brief, Hillary...

...Clinton "won" last night, Bernie Sanders also "won," Ted Cruz actually won, Donald Trump lost, and Marco Rubio "won" by vastly outperforming expectations.

(I saw that Rubio -- who just vaulted back into first place for the nomination on Paddy Power -- already picked up an endorsement from Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. Is the establishment coalescing around him?)

I was wrong in thinking Hillary and Trump would win Iowa outright, Cruz would come in second and Rubio would disappoint. Mea culpa.

I think I was right, though -- it's impossible to know -- that Trump made a mistake by not participating in that last debate. Not only did he give his rivals more air time, but it may have also been seen by some Iowans as a "stunt" unworthy of a serious candidate. (Some of the talking heads last night said Rubio picked up some late votes from Trump. I believe it: "dated" the Donald, "married" Marco.)

As for Rubio -- whose surprising finish I suspect will be the "story" today -- I just don't get the appeal. As I wrote the other day, everyone -- except me -- seems to think he's a great speaker with an "optimistic" message. All I ever hear is a bunch of dystopian talking points spewed out in rapid-fire succession.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that Rubio is often described as "whip-smart." Really? I guess the bar for Republicans is a little lower. I've heard Paul Ryan described as "a Republican’s idea of what a policy wonk sounds like." Is Rubio a Republican’s idea of what a "whip-smart" person looks like?

Sen. Rubio is about to feel the "full force and fury" from a certain New York real estate tycoon. Let's see how he handles it. Personally, I think the man is an empty suit.

On to New Hampshire!