Watching an Iowa Democratic party caucus in person Thursday night offered a revealing look at the often confrontational process.

At Callanan Middle School in Des Moines, supporters of the top three candidates — Barack Obama, John Edwards and Hillary Clinton — tried to win over supporters of those who failed to make the threshold of voters needed to win a delegate. Persuasion began with food (cookies and sandwiches) and ended sometimes with caucus-goers badgering those reluctant to jump the fence.

Catherine Morris, a local stay-at-home mom, came to the caucus "meat market" to stand for Sen. Christopher Dodd, who did not make the viability threshold in the precinct.

"I knew it would be intense, but I was not prepared for the direct one-on-one appeals," Morris said, just before eager supporters of Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson interrupted the interview with pleas for her vote. Richardson garnered one delegate in the precinct by a close margin, with Edwards taking two.

Morris politely declined: She was leaning toward Obama. In addition, she said she would withhold her support out of respect for delegate-less Sen. Joe Biden, whose precinct captain had told caucus-goers not to go to Richardson, according to Morris.

But the confrontational atmosphere had made her "knees a little shakey," she said.
A few minutes later, Morris sought me out to say she had finally switched to Edwards.