Last night in Iowa, the first caucuses, the first vote of the year 2000, it was Vice President Al Gore and George W. Bush fastening their front-runner labels tighter. Amid light turnout, the Texas governor fought off a tough challenge by publishing heir Steve Forbes, while the Vice President easily beat Bradley by almost two to one. Alan Keyes, an ex-ambassador with not much money, finished a solid third among Republicans as the conservative vote showed its strength. We’ll be speaking with a representative of Alan Keyes in just a minute. Arizona Senator John McCain got about five percent of the vote, but he skipped the state to focus on New Hampshire’s February 1st primary. Presidential campaigns now enter a frantic decisive six-week stretch.