Philip Brasher in the Des Moines Register this morning suggests that "Democrats may have finally found a wedge issue to pry away some rural voters from the Republican Party: Ethanol." Barack Obama supports ethanol subsidies. John McCain doesn't. In corn-rich Iowa, Brasher writes, "McCain's position on ethanol has proven in some quarters to be the gift Democrats needed."

The veteran Iowa farm writer reports that McCain has been doing "aggressive outreach to farm groups." But, get this, six former presidents of the National Corn Growers Association recently signed a letter endorsing Obama. "I've been farming for 35 years, and I've never seen a more exciting time to be involved in agriculture," said former Corn Grower president Fred Yoder of Ohio. "I'll be darned if I'm going to let these opportunities slip by because of somebody having a grudge against ethanol."