How Iowa benefits from new House Energy & Commerce Chair

Over in eastern Iowa, one of the state's top bloggers and political analysts, John Deeth, has an insightful post today about how a new chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee could be a big deal for the Hawkeye State.

Iowa may have been a big winner in today's epic vote that stripped a powerful committee chairmanship from the senior member of the House of Representatives.

Rep. Henry Waxman of California was elected chair of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, defeating incumbent John Dingell of Michigan. The vote was a 137-122 secret ballot in a closed door meeting, but Rep. Bruce Braley of Waterloo was one of three speakers on Waxman's behalf.

Dingell, it should be noted, had long been an opponent of Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses. Now that he's out of power -- and Obama is in -- the future of our place at the front of the line is much more secure.